Vengeance Of A Human
by whitworth5274
Summary: That day, he lost everything. His parents, his home, his life, all because the one that'll be known as the Armored Titan wrecked it all. He joins Eren, Armin, and Mikasa in their quest to fight back and retake Wall Maria-all the while preparing himself to exact vengeance on the Armored Titan. Follows the events of Attack on Titan 2 video game and the anime.
1. The Fateful Day: The Fall of Shiganshina

**Welcome to Vengeance of a Human. This Attack on Titan fanfic is inspired by the story mode of the Attack on Titan 2 video game. As in the game, the main character with be an OC who experiences the events of the series, but it will be from his perspective. **

**This story will be a combination of the events of the video game and the anime. Most conversations, if they are not exclusive to the OC, will be from the anime; battles, however, since they are from the OC's POV, will take from the video game while significant events within those battles will be from the anime. You'll see what I mean in a few chapters. Some events will be of my own creation, which is mostly the characterization of the OC and events surrounding him that the video game doesn't touch.**

**For those who played the game, to answer if the OC will die at the end (which for anime watchers, the end of Season 2), that is a no. I plan to extend his presence to Season 3 and, if I do go along with this, possibly even beyond.**

**Anywho, enjoy the story!**

* * *

"On that day, mankind remembered the fear of oppression under them and the humiliation of being caged like birds. We lived in fear of the Titans, and were disgraced to live in these cages we called walls."

* * *

_Shiganshina District_

I do not remember what I was doing that day. I just know that I was in the district of Shiganshina, my hometown within Wall Maria. I believe my parents sent me on an errand to buy some groceries or something of the sort. I believe that, at the time, I was walking from the store to the inner gate, as my home was located inside the Wall.

What I do remember is seeing the yellow light hail down from the sky.

The gentle breeze that was blowing suddenly stopped, as if the world itself was on pause. I continued to walk back to the gate, singing to myself, "Beyond the castle walls lies a hunter killing his prey with a surging killer impulse scorching his body, he pierces the dusk scarlet with a crimson arrow."

Out the corner of my eye, the lightning appeared, striking the ground with enough force to cause the ground to shake. I was launched off my feet, dropping my recently bought goods on the stone road. As I got back to my feet, I, as the other citizens around me did, looked to where the bolt had struck down. In awe and curiosity, we stared at a rising pillar of smoke.

"What was that?"

"An explosion by the sounds of it."

"You think the Garrison is behind it?"

"Is that...a hand?"

I quietly looked closer at the Wall, seeing what is indeed a hand. That's impossible for anyone, even a Titan, to grip the Wall. They don't grow over 20 meters, and the Wall itself is 50 meters. Yet, as a shadow crept over the town, our deepest fears, our frozen reality of a hundred years thawed and stared down on us like cattle. We were face to face with our demons, our oppressors, our extinction.

A Titan, colossal in size, stands barely a head over the Wall. Its body is pure muscle, tendons, and ligaments. Its eyes terrified us, the long row of teeth petrified us, and the kick it made to destroy the out gate made us run of our lives. The Titans have entered the city.

I ran as fast as I could towards the inner gate, wanting to return home to my mother and father. I ran without thinking of the groceries I bought. I ran with the only thought of survival, of not wanting to be ripped apart in the hands and mouths of these monsters. I was a ten-year-old boy, what else is there to do? The Garrison can handle the Titans, right?

As soon as I was on the other side of the inner gate, I paused for a moment to look for my parents. "Mother! Father! Ahh!" I was knocked to the ground by a passerby, yet I continue to look for my parents. They should have still been outside the city, so I know the Titans couldn't have gotten to them. "Mother!"

"Joshua!" I turned away from the Wall, seeing both my mother and father come to me. My mother gets to me first, helping me to my feet. "Oh, I'm glad you're safe!"

My father looks over me. "Are you hurt?"

I shake my head. "No."

"We have to get out of here, quickly!" We begin to run, my mother dragging me by my hand. Another set of rumbles stopped us as we turned to the Wall in time to see a huge boulder come our way. Time slowed as I felt a pair of hands touch and push me away, my eyes darted to the sight of my father's face before I-and the boulder-make contact with the ground.

A few groggy moments later, I push my face off the ground. I look around. The area is not as populated as it once was, but there are still people running. I turn to my back, seeing the boulder on the ground where...my parents last stood. I look at the ground underneath, seeing a red pool flow where the boulder meets the ground.

I barely had time to process what happened before a voice calls to me. "Can you stand up?" It is a Garrison soldier who touches me with a hurried tone. He seems frightened for some reason. Are the soldiers not fighting back? Are we not...winning?

"I can stand." I prove it by standing up, much to the pleasure of the soldier. He grabs my arm and pulls me.

"Run to the boat!" I followed after him, once again running for my life. The sound of breaking stone gathered my attention, in which I looked back to see dust fly out from the inner gate, covering the boulder that is now my parent's grave. At the epicenter of the cloud stands a figure, one of Titan size, but its behavior and appearance are atypical. In the brief glimpse I get of it, I can see blonde short hair, an armor-like body, and eyes that flashed red in the cloud of dust. It would be a Titan that would haunt my dreams for years, even the name it was given was enough to trigger me.

On that boat, I silently sat down, tears streaming down my eyes. I do not remember why I had gone to the grocery store for besides getting the required supplies. I do not remember much of the morning before the task. What I do remember is the yellow light, the giant's face, the debris that kills my parents, and the eyes of the Titan with the armored body.

"Those Titans...I'm going to kill them all." I turned to the right, seeing three other kids my age. I recognize them from school. The only blond of the group, wearing a blue jacket, brown suspenders, and a white shirt is the shy but smart Armin Arlelt. The girl beside him wearing a white dress, a tan sweater, and a red scarf around her neck is Mikasa Ackermann, the toughest girl I have ever met. She scared most boys, but I never felt it myself. Last of the trio stands on the side of the boat, his words being the reason I looked over to them. He is black-haired, wearing dark pants, a green shirt, and a red jacket is the hot-headed leader of the trio, Eren Jaeger. He stared at the water as his friends join him, screaming out to the land, "Every single one."

I looked away, down to my hand. A single tear dropped in my palm, and I clutched it tightly. I silently allow Eren's words to dwell on my mind. For my parents...my friends...my neighbors...my hometown...I must fight back and join the military, and the front lines of action too. Not the Military Police who rather stay safe in the capital, or the Garrison who became lax in their protective efforts. I will wear the green cloak of the Scouts, and risk my life to destroy the Titans.

And with that, if I meet the one who will be known as the Armored Titan, I will kill it myself.

* * *

Two years later, we joined the 104th Cadet Training Corps. In the time between, our lives continued to go downhill. Eren, at one point, met with his father, only to lose him to mysterious circumstances. However, he did gain a possession: a key to Dr. Grisha Jaeger's basement, which holds some secret he wanted to share with his son. Armin's grandfather died in an expedition to reclaim Wall Maria, but to us, it was a way to get rid of the excess humans residing in Wall Rose after refugees came. In the meantime, I was able to befriend each of them, Eren most of all because of how close our goals aligned.

Mikasa initially tried scaring me off, but she quickly learned I was immune to her presence. She is nothing to the monstrous Titans we all met back home. Once we had gotten use to each other, I started to learn why she is the way she is. Eren and Armin have always been of Shiganshina, but Mikasa was of an outlying village. Eren and his father saved her from slavers that killed her family and adopted her. Ever since, she's always tagged alongside Eren, like a moth to a flame. Same could be said for Armin, who met Eren while crying after being beaten by bullies.

But the day finally came for us to join the military. For the next three years, we trained together, along the way making new friends and enemies, honing our skills with the omni-directional mobility gear, and becoming machines designed to kill Titans.

For the next three years, humanity regained its dignity.


	2. The Fateful Day: 104th Cadet Corps

The first day of training was much harder than it should have been, and it all began when our instructor, ex-commander of the Survey Corps Keith Sadies made us line up.

I remember Sadies from two years ago, sometime before Shiganshina fell. The Scouts, beaten, returned from Titan territory in the city, the citizens watching as if it was an important ceremony. My father was present, and he recalled the ex-commander breaking down in front of a mother of a fallen Scout, telling her how much of a failure he has been.

Now here he is, ready to make failures of us. Sadies walks between the second and third line of recruits, staring down on them like a disgusting meal. That's until he chooses his next prey. "Hey, mop-top!"

Armin stands erect, placing his right fist over his heart, his left arm behind him. "Sir!"

"What do they call you, maggot?"

"Armin Arlelt, from Shiganshina, sir!"

"Wow, seriously? Why would your parents curse you with such a dumb name?"

While I am several spots away from my friend and he definitely does not hear my thoughts, I advise him in my head. _Do not take offense to anything he says Armin. He does not actually mean it...I think._

"It was my grandfather, sir!"

Sadies leans in Armin's face. "Cadet Arlelt! Why is a runt like you here?"

"To help humanity overcome the Titans!"

Sadies stands up, my peripheral vision unable to decipher his emotions. "That is delightful to hear! You're going to be a great light snack for them!" He puts his hand on Armin's head, turning him 180 degrees. "Row three, about face, runt!" I quickly shift my eyes in Armin's direction, noticing that he looks like a puppy who just shitted on itself. Sadies has that aura, I tell you.

Sadies steps up to another blond, though his hair is short. "What do you call yourself?"

The boy, although audible from my position, is soft-spoken. "Sir. My name is Thomas Wagner, I'm from Trost District!"

Sadies did not like soft-spoken. "I can't hear you!"

Thomas, embarrassed, raises his tone. "I'm from Trost, sir, my name is Thomas-"

"Shut up! Nobody cares! Next!"

I tune out Sadies for a moment, looking around (with my eyes) for Eren and Mikasa. If Sadies is going for the vulnerable, he's going to skip Mikasa, but Eren...Eren might say something stupid.

"What do we have over here?"

Sadies found himself a fresh target with an indescribable color of hair. He's a little above my height, but from when he first speaks, which for our age is remarkable. "Jean Kirschtein, sir. From the Trost District!"

"And why are you here, cadet?"

Jean so confidently states "To join the Military Police, sir. The best of the best."

_The wimpiest of the wimpiest. _I have no issue with those who choose to join the Military Police. It is a fine job. The safest of the three branches. But the reasoning behind it (as Sadies would ask of Jean, "That's nice, you want to live in the Interior, do you?") puts a bad taste in my mouth. At least the Garrison has the balls (less than the Scouts, to compare) to combine living in the comforts of the Wall with the interaction of Titans, but the Interior Police live within Sina, not Maria (no more) or Rose. The chances Titans ever get to Sina is very low, though with Maria fallen those chances only rise if Rose falls.

"Yes! Augh!" Jean kneels on the ground, holding his head. Sadies just headbutted him, and if there is was an insult to the injury, Sadies provided it.

"No one told you to sit, recruit! If you can't handle this, Kirschtein, then forget about joining the Military Police! AND what the hell is wrong with your face, you smiling idiot?!"

As Sadies beings to interrogate some kid named Marco Bodt, I heard some munching beside me. I turn slightly, seeing the redhead girl behind me eating...a potato? I breathe heavily to myself, hoping that she doesn't finish that potato before Sadies get here. Call me cruel, but I would like to witness just how pissed he could actually get.

So as he drops the boy named Conny Springer, Sadies comes my way. I hope he does skip by me and head on to the back...shit. He stops in front of me and leans down. "And what do they call you?"

"Joshua Hardin, from Shiganshina, sir!"

"Joshua, isn't it? Another good-for-nothing, pathetic-sounding name! What are you doing here, squirt?"

I fight my sudden reaction to defend my name and answer Sadies' question. "I've come to take out the Armored Titan!"

The drill instructor scoffs. "Is that so? Setting your sights high, huh? Remember to mark your body somehow so it's easier to identify your corpse!"

_Well fuck you too, but look to my left a bit… There you go._ As desired, Sadies sees the girl, and his face almost makes me laugh. It is one of pure shock, of intense "what the fuck am I seeing right now" and Sadies makes his move. "Hey, you there. What do you think you're doing?" She doesn't answer, sending steam out the ears of the drill instructor. I wish I could see her without angering Sadies (he didn't tell us to turn) as he steps up to the girl, shouting "You are officially on my shit list. Just who in the hell are you?"

I kid you not, she took the loudest swallow I've ever heard. Her voice, as brave as her actions, answers Sadies. "Sasha Braus from Dauper Village, at your service. Reporting for duty, sir!"

Maybe it is me, but the air became still with the tension between Sadies and Sasha. "Sasha Braus, huh? And what is that you're clutching in your right hand?"

"A steamed potato! It sat there in the mess hall begging to be eaten. Sir!"

Some of us in our line, including me, Jean, Conny, and Marco, turn enough to watch the scene behind us and still face forward. "The theft I understand. But here? Why eat it here, of all places?"

"It looked quite delicious. And it was getting cold. So I gave it shelter in my stomach, sir."

"Why? I can't comprehend. Why would you eat that potato?"

"...Are you asking me why people eat potatoes? I'm surprised you don't know, sir." Now if the stillness was not detectable by the others before, it definitely is now. I could see Eren in my vision, as well as the others named in my row, all of us bear some degree of shock on our faces. This girl has balls.

And then she does the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the unbelievable. She takes the potato in both hands and breaks it. She takes half and holds it up to Sadies. "Here, sir. Have half."

Sadies takes it. I can't see his face, but I believe he is just as shocked as we are. "'Have half?' Really?"

I do not believe the language he spoke in needs to ever be recorded, but let's just say Sasha's endurance and hunger will be heavily tested.

* * *

Despite Mikasa, Armin, Eren and I coming from Shiganshina, with me seeing both the Colossal and Armored Titan (even stating I would take it out), Eren told our story during dinner. That led to a short encounter with Jean when Eren said he'll join the Scouts.

He also tried complementing Mikasa, but he failed hilariously.

Today we officially begin training, but in an unusual way than what you might think.

The pride of the military is the use of the omni-directional mobility gear, a gas-powered propulsion device that also uses grappling hooks for stability. The gear is used as a way to move in a three-dimensional space and fight Titans. Since their weak spot is the nape of their neck, getting in the air and behind them quickly lead to the development of these machines. They also come with several sets of blades in case the ones in use break.

Today, we just have ourselves strapped in a harness and hooked to several ropes. The ability to stay upright is the most important aspect of using ODM gear, and this is the best way to test it. I pass easily, almost as easily as Mikasa. Jean, Sasha, and Conny pass as well, though they were not as stable as me and Ackermann. I didn't some of the others, but I did witness Eren.

Fail, he did. I guess Sadies is going to give Eren another shot because he was not immediately sent to work in the fields.

Later that day, Mikasa, Armin and I tried to help him. I strap him up, making sure that the ropes are secure. "So you didn't do so well earlier. At least you are still here."

Eren sighs. "Yeah, but for how much longer? If I don't-"

"Eren," I call, giving him a stern look that one day might rival Sadies, "you can do this. It is not easy, but once you get the hang of it, it is no big deal. Mikasa, any tips for Eren?"

"Just remember the basics and you should be fine. No need to try any fancy maneuvers. Just focus on your balance. Then distribute your weight evenly between the belts on your waist and your legs."

"Loosen up your stance a little bit," Armin tells him. "If I could do it, I know that you can!"

Eren nods. "Okay. A loose stance but balanced. Let's give it a shot, Armin." Armin nods and begins to raise Eren. Not even a second in the air, Eren flips over and hits his head hard on the ground.

I sigh as I gesture Armin over to help me unhook Eren. "Dammit."

* * *

In the mess hall, it is not hard to overhear others talking about Eren's failure. He did have his head wrapped up, and his face replayed his fear and failure. Apparently, he spaced out long enough to annoy Mikasa because she grabs his shoulder hard enough to snap him out of it. "Worrying won't solve a thing. There's still time to get some practice come morning."

I nod, pointing my fork at Eren. "She's right, you know. We got plenty of time...as long as you do not lose your head."

Eren scoffs, less at my comment and more at himself. "How pathetic. How am I supposed to kill 'em if I can't even stand up straight?"

"It might be time to let that dream die." Us three boys stare at Mikasa in confusion. Now Armin and I, we either keep our opinions to ourselves or try to pacify his feelings, and Mikasa is _very_ blunt to him, but to my knowledge, she has never _ever_ been against his goal.

"What do you mean?"

"I think you should give up this attempt to be a soldier. There's a lot more to fighting and combat than just throwing your life away in vain."

"What are you saying? After everything we saw that day, after what happened to my mum, you're crazy if you think I'm just going to walk away."

I bit my lip in silence. _She wants you to give up...or is she trying to motivate you? Mikasa…_ I am hoping Armin will intervene, yet he seems as content to watch the exchange as I am.

"I get it. But it doesn't matter how determined you are."

"It… Wait, what do you mean?" _She really wants Eren to quit._

"Because whether or not you're fit to be a soldier isn't up to you. You misunderstand. I'm not saying you should return to the fields by yourself. I wouldn't dream of it. Because wherever you go, I'm going to go with you." Mikasa turns her head as she finishes speaking, only to have her mouth drop at the sight of Sasha in Eren's seat. Most of the cadets, including Armin and Eren, have left while Mikasa monologued. So I bear a smirk as Sasha and Mikasa try to comprehend the situation.

Sasha points to the loaf of bread beside Mikasa. "So, uh, are you saying that you're not going to finish that?" Mikasa looks to the loaf and holds it between her and Sasha, to the redhead's delight, only to have that dream of bread dashed once Mikasa places it between her mouth. Feeling some remorse for the girl, I push mine towards her as Mikasa and I get up to leave the hall.

I haven't forgotten why I stayed behind. "Mikasa, I do not understand. Why would you tell Eren to give up?"

She does not look at me, and I did not expect her to talk to me, yet as she brushes her hair back she speaks, "It is for the best. For him."

I shake my head. "I do not believe you are saying that for him. You've always been too overprotective of someone who does not need protection. You are not saying it for him, bit for yourself. Because if you were saying it for him," I step in front of her, forcing her to look up to me. Since I do have little height over Eren, she does have to raise her head. "If you were saying it for him and not yourself, you would tell me to give up too. Eren has the same goal I have, to have vengeance on the Titans. So tell me, Mikasa, that I too should give this up."

Mikasa might be able to scare others, but she has never frightened me. So our staredown lasts longer than it should've until she steps aside and walks away. As I turn to head to the guy's barrack, I hear Mikasa's steps cease. "Joshua."

"Hmm?"

"We both know Eren will not give up, no matter what you or I say."

* * *

Eren did not give up. When I returned to the barracks, I spotted Eren and Armin sitting on a bed with two older boys. Their names currently escape me, but it wasn't long before I had some sort of introduction. "So where are the two of you from?"

The black-haired boy speaks first, bowing his head in sadness. "Oh, Reiner and I? We were both from a mountain village just southeast of Wall Maria."

As I join my friends, I question their new comrades. "Southeast of Maria?"

Armin does too. "But… Then that means…"

"Yeah," says the one I'll later learn is named Bertholdt, "unlike the more prosperous river towns, our village didn't receive word right away. The Titans were on us before we even knew what was going on. It happened at dawn. All the livestock were so restless. Soon after, we heard these strange rumblings that just became louder and louder. Eventually, I realized those rumblings were the sound of death getting closer. I, uh, looked out my window and...After that, well, uh, everything is just a blur. I think we all just panicked."

"Hey. Easy now, you're just getting yourself worked up again."

"Sorry. Basically, what I've been trying to say is this. The four of us aren't like the rest of...of them."

"'Them?' Who?"

"The others here who have never been witness to the Titan's horror."

"Hey." Reiner puts a hand on Bertholdt. He gestures to the rest of the barracks, filled by the other boys. Understanding, Bertholdt slides off the bed, followed by Reiner, Eren, and Armin. The five of us headed outside, now able to talk freely in private. "Most of them are here for show. Tod do just what society expects. In a world where you're labeled a coward if you choose fieldwork by the time you turn 12, propriety demands our service. With that said, I'm really no different from the others. I joined the ranks hoping for an assignment to the Military Police. Tucked away in the Interior. If that doesn't work out, I'll give up entirely."

We're now outside the camp, walking through the forest. Bertholdt and Reiner take lead while Armin, Eren, and I trek behind them. "There's no shame in caring about your life, Bertholdt," Armin says. "We all do."

I look to Reiner, wondering what his story is. Between the two older kids, he's been very quiet. "Reiner, why did you join?"

"I'm going to return to the home that was taken from me. That's all I care about now. I will do it. No matter what." I hear the conviction in his voice, not too different from mine and Eren's. The three of us want the same thing, to return and take back our homes.

Bertholdt looks about, turning to Eren. "What about you? Why did you sign up?"

Eren frowns initially, but as he speaks his face becomes more and more fierce. "Why'd I join? I decided I have to kill them. I won't stop till every single Titan is dead and rotting. Dead. Every last one."

Reiner and Bertholdt look absolutely flabbergasted, but that's how one would react to Eren's reasoning. Reiner glances at me, silently asking me the same question. I look back with a face similar to Eren. "The Armored Titan. He...killed my parents. Yes, I want to kill all Titans too, but that specific one...I want to be the one to kill him. Eren can have the rest for all I care."

Reiner nods and turns around. As we come to a clearing in the woods, he speaks again. "You saw what those monsters are capable of and you still want to take them on?"

"Damn right," Eren states. "It's just after screwing up the training, I don't know if I'm cut out to be a soldier."

The clouds spread apart in the sky, revealing the full moon. Light hails down on the earth, revealing our location to be on a cliff overlooking lower levels of the forest and a large lake that flows into a river. It is quite a marvelous scene, one I did not know is so close to the camp.

"We'll take it from step one: belt adjustment. By tomorrow, you'll be an expert. I know you've got what it takes. I can see it in you. Am I wrong here?"

Eren looks back at Reiner, smiling in happiness that the older boy will help. "No! I won't fail. Thank you, Reiner." Reiner smiles back, then looks for a short but noticeable moment at me before turning back to the scenery below us.

* * *

Eren did not fail. It is revealed that his harness is defective, so when given a functioning one, Eren passes the test. He cheerfully looks in our direction, to which Armin and I smile back. He will not have to work the fields but continue to train for our vengeance.

"It seems like things worked out for him," Reiner says.

Armin chuckles. "Look, his eyes are saying, 'Check me out!'"

"They're not."

"Huh?"

Mikasa does not meet our gazes. "His eyes are saying he doesn't have to leave me. Not anymore." Nobody says anything to counter Mikasa, yet I believe I am the only one who knows she is wrong. Mikasa may believe her words, but Eren's eyes say the complete opposite.

_He doesn't need you to worry about him anymore._ Those words became true for the next few years. We trained hard with ODM, with riding horses, and how to attack the Titans. Our relationships with the other cadets grew, especially mine with Thomas Wagner and Mina Carolina.

* * *

"Okay, you maggots! If you're not in it to win it, you can pack your bags and ship out to the Interior right now! Thomas Wagner! Even a waste of space like you could make it in the Interior! They're low on numbers, son. And you! Mina Carolina! Born in a pigsty, weren't you? Then go back and live with the swine, kiddo! Titans don't eat pork! Although, I dunno if the pigs would even take a runt like you in!" Sadies storms off, walking past me without even a glance. Intrigued, I walk up to the pair of Wagner and Carolina as they talk to each other.

"He didn't have to be quite so harsh. I'm doing my best."

"I don't know how much more of this I can take… Maybe the life of a pig is better."

"Thomas, Mina, Sadies is just being a hardass. Don't let it get to you."

Mina looks at me flabbergasted. "Don't let it get to me? How exactly?"

Thomas sighs. "I don't know if we're going to make it like this. But, if I'm honest, I really don't see how I'm going to improve my training results."

"I know! I'm trying my hardest already, and look where it's gotten me." Mina looks to me, desperate for a solution. "What do you think we should do, Joshua?"

"Hmm...well, you can watch and learn from the high-flyers?"

"Watch and learn? Well, there are certainly a lot of really talented people among our peers. I guess if we studied their strong points, it could help us improve."

Thomas nods in agreement. "Study their strong points, huh? Yeah, if we made a conscious effort to do that, it could make a real difference actually. Okay, why don't we each do that and then get together to compare results? You can join in too, Joshua. I mean, it was your idea, right?"

I chuckle. "Yeah, I'm good… Matter of fact, I have a better idea. We'll personally train together."

Thomas' jaw almost dropped. "W-What? But...why would you want us tagging along with you?"

Mina's eyes became wider than her face. "Yeah. We'll just slow you down. Why burden yourself with us? You hang with Jaeger and his gang, don't you?"

I smile. "Sure, but… We come from different places in this world, but the fact remains that the Titans want us gone. Thomas, you want the Military Police, Mina, you gave your goals, I have mine in the Scouts. For all I care right now is that we get through this together." I stick my hand out, eyeing them challengingly. "Now either you accept my offer, or prove Sadies right." Mina didn't take another moment to think about it, she immediately joined my hand with hers. We looked to Thomas, who finally gave in and join. "Good. We'll begin tomorrow."

* * *

When graduation finally three years later, I was not in the top ten, but it did not bother me. I aimed for the Scouts, and I will join the Scouts no matter my placement. I was happy for Mikasa (1st) and Eren (5th).

After the rankings were called, I entered the barracks to meet with Mina and Thomas. Thomas spotted me first, waving me over. "Hey, I've been waiting for you, Joshua! Too bad we couldn't both make it in the top ten. Still, all those debriefings weren't for nothing, huh? I think we're better soldiers now."

I smile at both of them. "Sure. To be honest, I'm proud of both of you. You were once Titan fodder, but now you both might be able to floss their teeth." We laugh, but then I get a little serious. "But really, you guys did well."

Mina glows up. "All thanks to you."

Thomas shrugs. "Yeah yeah, now that we've graduated the Cadet Corps, what do you say we check back over the things we learned before we join the others for dinner?"

Mina agrees. "Okay then, you first, Thomas."

"Sure. So, I managed to spend quite a bit of time with Eren and Armin. Eren's obviously just unbelievably brave, right? I mean, he's just got unlimited fighting spirit, that guy. Armin is...smart. Smart and determined not to be beaten. He does a lot of work behind the scenes to compensate for his lack of physical ability."

I nod. "I know them best, you are not wrong about them."

"So courage and determination, huh? I guess they've both got a really good attitude toward their training."

"Yeah, and that's something we should be able to take on board, don't you think? So Mina, how did it go for you?"

"Well, I think it's fair to say I got pretty close with Mikasa and Christa. Mikasa's got this knack of being able to control her emotions no matter what she's facing. Unless it has something to do with Eren, of course."

I smile. "Of course."

"And Christa's really good at seeing what's going on around her. She's always mindful of what her comrades are doing. It's pretty incredible actually."

Thomas sighs. "Well, I don't think I'm gonna be able to match Mikasa's skills. But, we could learn from Christa, I think. Okay, and how about you, Joshua?"

"Besides Armin, Eren, Mikasa, and you two?" I tap my finger on my chin before a flashlight goes off in my head. "Ah, Reiner and Bertholdt. Reiner is a natural leader, an inspiration to us younger cadets. I'll admit, I strive to be like him. Bertholdt is a skilled soldier, much more chill than Reiner, sometimes easier to talk to. Both are great guys."

Thomas nods. "Okay then, well, that just about wraps it up. This was really interesting."

"Yeah, I think it's been really helpful getting to know some of the others better. I've learned so much."

I barely recognize these two. Three years ago, Sadies was ready to eat them alive and here they are now, brimming with confidence. "You both seem really motivated now."

Mina places a hand on her hip. "Yes, we're not about to give up yet!"

"We'll have to spend time with other people in the corps and see what else we can learn."

"Good idea. With everyone's help and a lot of hard work, I'm sure we can become great soldiers!"

* * *

Afterward, we joined the others and celebrated, but it came to an awkward pause when Thomas questioned Eren's resolve. "You're really going to turn your back on the MP for the Scouts? Why in the world would you do that? You're in the top ten."

"The Scouts have always been my goal. I don't want an easy life. Not with all the work I've put in. I trained to fight Titans."

Wagner is so shaken by Eren's response that it is visible on his face. "Are you insane?" Distant as I am from the argument, I understand Thomas' sentiment, that he won't get the opportunity to live in the interior underneath the guise of false safety, but will be on the front lines guarding Wall Rose as a Garrison troop or have the mission to retake Wall Maria as a Scout. Eren's life doesn't have to be in danger; Thomas' life will be no matter the route he chooses.

He realizes his outburst gained everyone's attention, so much that he lowers his voice. "How many people have died? We're talking a fifth of the population! If that doesn't paint a picture for you, I don't know what will. This is our life now. We can't beat them."

"Yeah? So what?" Eren looks to Thomas' shaking form with a burning determination. "We buckle? Take it all lying down? Things have changed. Maybe not a hell of a lot but enough. They aren't the mystery they were five years ago. There's still a long way to go but we've made progress. Every battle we've lost taught us a lesson. Gave us the tiniest inroad towards something like hope. You're telling me it's better to cut our losses? Let all the death and destruction be meaningless? Just to ball up and accept it? Not on your life! Humanity's future lies outside the walls, and I'm going to clear the way! I'm going to take back what's ours! I'll drive them out. And as long as at least one of us can say that, we're not done." In fury and nearly in tears, Eren makes a beeline for the door. Armin calls for him as he and Mikasa follow after him.

Getting to my feet, I sigh as I walk pass Thomas, grabbing him by the shoulder. He jumps like a scared roach. "J-Joshua!"

"Just because you don't have a choice doesn't give you the right to condemn the ones that can choose. You, Thomas, don't understand why he must fight, why I must fight. But the moment when you come under the threat of the Titans, whether you survive or not, you will understand Eren Jaeger." I release Thomas and join my friends outside. Eren, sitting on some steps, looks to us as we come and join him.

"That was, uh, quite a speech you gave us there," Armin says.

Eren shrugs. "Yeah. Most of it was yours. All the stuff you used to say back in the day."

I chuckle. "Yeah, I knew those words were too much for your simple, kill-all-Titans mind." Eren smiles, punching me in the arm. I smile a little more before dropping it, turning the conversation into a serious one. "You know my path, Eren. The Scouts has always been our calling, and I'll be glad to have you by my side when we take back our home-and beyond."

Eren nods. "Of course. I've never doubted you would go anywhere else. Even if you could go to the MP."

Armin sighs. "Yeah, well, I'm joining the Scout Regiment, too!" Eren and I look at Armin in shock. Why...Why would Armin join the Scouts? He can't join the Military Police, but the Garrison Regiment I thought he would choose.

"Now you're just being stupid," Eren shouts. "Come on! You're not a fighter! Your life is with the books!"

I interject. "Maybe the Garrison, Armin. You won't have to fight as much, but still on the frontlines."

Armin acknowledges our responses, but before he says a word I can tell his resolve is set. He won't change his mind. "I'm through with letting other people fight for me."

"Guess its the Scouts for me, too, then."

That I expected of Mikasa, but for Eren, it came as a surprise. "Oh come on! You were top of the class! You'd be wasting your shot!"

"Understand this, Eren. Where you go, I go. I made a promise to your mother before she died. I'm not letting you die. I've got your back whether you like it or not. So just deal with it."

Eren turns away from Mikasa's cutting glare, sighing as he grips his head. "Yeah. Well, Mum's not here."

"A lot of the people I used to care about aren't here, either." I look at Mikasa at the moment. Never have I heard Mikasa talk about caring for anyone outside of Eren. This soft side of her is...uncomfortable to be around, given I'm used to her cold demeanor, but it is nice to see that the ice queen can be melted.

I reach up to her shoulder, Mikasa looking back uncomfortable but not denying. I smile warmly for a second before I address everyone. "We might not be able to get them back, but we will avenge them. My parents, Eren's mother, Armin's grandfather, everyone we cared about, we will carry them in our hearts into battle. We will take back what's ours." I let go of Mikasa and face forward, looking up to the starry sky that is bordered by the Wall Rose in the Trost District. We have hope, vengeance, and desire in our veins...and I'm glad to know I'll have the three people I trust most by my side.

* * *

"Conny, you are shitting me."

"Huh? What the hell do you mean you're joining the Scouts?" Eren and I were on the top of Wall Rose, checking out the cannons with the rest of the cadets. Apparently Conny is also joining the Scouts...for some reason. "What happened to the MP? That was your whole thing!"

Conny scoffs. "Don't worry about it! A guy's allowed to change his mind, okay?"

"I think your speech yesterday lit a fire under him." Mina comes from behind, placing a hand on my shoulder as she looks to Eren.

"Ain't nobody talking to you!" Conny turns to us, angry but embarrassed. "His temper tantrum had nothing to do with it."

"Take it easy," Thomas calls as he walks over. He looks from Conny to me. "It's not like you're the only one."

I nod, throwing a thumbs-up to my friend. "Nice to have you, Thomas."

Eren is still in shock his speech had an effect on the others, especially the one who it was directed at. "What? Are you serious?"

"Can you guys keep a secret?" We look to an approaching Sasha, holding her jacket tightly on her right side. "'Cause I totally just helped myself to the Officers' Pantry."

We all tense up. We are used to Sasha stealing food over the last three years (and getting better at not getting caught) but to steal from the officers? "Sasha! They can throw your butt off the clink for that!"

"Seriously, what is wrong with you?"

"What isn't wrong with her?"

"It'll be fine," Sasha responds with the most aroused face I've ever seen directed towards food. "I'm willing to share. Oh, can you imagine the sandwiches?"

She begins to shake with the possibilities she can have with the meat, which scares me more than her having it. "Somebody needs to take it from her, but I don't know if that's a good idea."

Eren yells at her again. "Put it back!"

"Yeah," Mina says from behind me. "Do you have any idea how rare meat's been since the Titans took Wall Maria?"

"Um, a little bit. Yeah." Sasha walks towards a pair of boxes and places the meat in one of them. "Just look of it this way. Pretty soon, we'll take back all the room we need for livestock."

A moment of silence is between us before one of us, Samuel, breaks. "I would really like a slice, please!"

Conny follows. "Hey, if he gets one, so do I. Just so you know."

"Me too!" I turn to Mina, herself excited for the prospect of meat. "I'm in on it, too!"

"But…"

"Eren." He turns to me as I smile back. "Let's be honest, they're not going to miss the meat Sasha stole. Sasha, leave it to me. I'll grill it for us!"

"Come on! Don't just stand there." We look to Samuel, sticking a pole inside one of the cannons. Thomas and Sasha walk off as Conny returns to his knees beside the cannon he's paired with Samuel. "If they see us slacking off, we're in for it."

Mina chuckles as she places a kiss on my cheek and walks off. "See you guys at lunchtime." I rub the side of my cheek as I watch her walk away, not sure how to take it. Eh, save it for later. I step up to Eren's side as he looks over the town of Trost.

"What is on your mind, Eren?"

"Has it really been five years?"

I cross my arms, chuckling. "Either it has, or we've grown in a matter of days that even to Hannes you aren't a little brat. Maybe we're dreaming." I look to the town as well, a smirk remaining on me. "Five long years. What has changed, my friend?"

"Look at us. Ready to stand tall again. We can do it. Mankind didn't start this fight, but we're going to finish it!" I nod along, brushing my hair back. The wind stilled afterward, just as if the world itself went on pause. It was just for a moment, but at that moment, the hairs on the back of my neck rose.

Then lightning struck.


	3. Battle of Trost: The Nightmare Replays

**Welcome back. We begin the Battle of Trost almost immediately, but first, let me remind you that the battle is written based on both the game and the anime. Of course, dialogue and events could be from either the game, the anime, or my creation.**

**This is my favorite chapter so far (at the time of posting, I'm beginning the sixth chapter) so I hope you guys enjoy what seems to be a long Battle of Trost. There's a lot to go through in this one battle alone, I forgot how many episodes the first season is of just this one battle**

**Thanks for the encouraging reviews, glad to see others enjoying this as much as I am. I'll see you guys in the next one.**

* * *

Eren and I turn around, gasping in the shared shocked of my fellow cadets as we stared eye to eye with the terror that just appeared. Horror replayed in my eyes of five years past, freezing me with fear. I'm sure the same words replayed in Eren's head as they did in mine. _Oh no, this cannot be happening. Not again._

The Colossal Titan. Nearly fifty meters tall, his fleshy head stares almost level at us with his exposed scowl, just as a powerful vortex of steam escapes its body. The force of it is enough to push us off, but the heat of the steam causes us to react. We are sent flying off the Wall, lucky to be equipped with ODM gear. We grapple on the Wall's side and hang vertically on it.

"Samuel!" I turn to see Conny cry the boy's name, and Sasha makes a desperate rescue attempt that has one of her hook grip Samuel's foot as the other hang on the Wall.

"Try not to move! Understand?" As Sasha begins to bring Samuel up, I stare back at Mina, seeing her fear across her face. Given our distance, I cannot reach her without moving into a new position, yet I don't deem the situation that critical.

"You okay, Mina?"

"Yes… Is this really happening?"

"Yeah. It is." I turn to Eren. "Almost lost Samuel. Shit."

"That was too damn close." He looks down to the lower part of the Wall, my eyes following. I knew I heard an explosion below us, but now that we see it, the two of us could only hang our jaws. "Oh god, no. Not again! They're going to get in. They're going to get in. They're going to get in!" Eren pushes himself off the Wall, I trail right behind. We land on the road leading to the Wall, getting a closer look at the hole in the Wall.

"The Wall… It's been destroyed!" I grit my teeth in anger and fear as the first Titan begins to walk in. I look up to the others still hanging on the Wall, their fear overcoming their readiness to fight. Giving the surprise, I understand it, but now we can do what we couldn't five years ago, and I will not let this opportunity be wasted. "Hey! This is what we've been training for! We must defend the city until the others can get here!" I draw my blades behind a ready Eren, and we take charge at the incoming Titan.

Eren gets there first, distracting it as he zips past the Titan's head. It makes the mistake of turning its head, exposing the nape. Taking aim with my hooks, I fire them towards the nape, then project myself forward with my swords ready to cut it open. Like swing a knife through butter, my blades cut deep through the Titan's neck, killing it instantly. My first Titan kill...before Mikasa too. I take some pride in it.

However, we don't have much time for a break. Another Large Titan enters through the Wall, just as Conny and Sasha come down from their perch. Conny lands beside me. "Are you okay? I'm joining the fight, too!"

I nod. "Good to see that!"

Sasha comes down the other side of me. "I'll go, too! We can win if we all fight together!"

Eren turns to us. "Josh is the best with the blades between the four of us. We'll distract them! Then you take the chance to strike them in the nape, Joshua!"

"Then let's get busy!" I watch as the three of them ascend towards the Titan. As Sasha and Eren gained the monster's attention, Conny flew low and cut the back of the Titan's knees, making it fall towards the ground. Seeing my opportunity, I take to the air and descend upon the Titan's nape, cutting through it expertly as I have trained. Another kill counted for me, I join Eren and the others upon one of the rooftops.

"We've pulled through! We can do this… Humanity can beat the Titans!"

Conny walks up to Eren's side, pointing at the hole in the Wall. "Eren, this is too much! If more Titans come, we're done for!"

Sasha turns to me. "Are you okay?" I wave her off, now that the adrenaline of killing two Titans is wearing off...for now. It is good enough for her. "Come on, we should retreat."

"No, there's still one more." Eren fires his hooks towards the top of the Wall.

Oh no, he isn't doing this. "Eren!" I reach forward, but it too late as Eren takes off for the top of the Wall.

We can only watch in awe as Jaeger cries out "The target is at the front of the outer Wall...The Colossal Titan!"

"You can't be serious."

I sigh. "Conny, he's serious. Seriously brave. Seriously stupid."

"Ah… Look!" Conny and I follow Sasha's finger, back to Maria's opening. "Another Titan made it in." Not just one, but two can be seen coming in. Sighing, I redraw my blades, much to the alarm of the redhead villager. "What? No!"

"Sasha," I state calmly, "we do not have a choice at this moment. Or at any moment. We must kill them."

Conny clicks his tongue as he draws his blades too. "Dammit, we have to kill that thing." He leaps first towards the Titans, me following afterward, then Sasha. As we approach, I look up to the Wall, seeing Thomas and Mina coming down.

"Sorry, I know I'm late...but I wanna help, too!"

"Yeah, we're joining the battle, too!" As they come down, they propel towards the larger of the two Titans, each taking an arm off it. I swing around to the back, effortlessly cutting the nape of the defenseless Titan. As it falls to the ground, me planting myself on the side of the Wall, I see the smaller Titan fall to Conny. He lands nearby, pointing up.

"Now, let's go help Eren!"

"Wait," Sasha cries out. "A Titan's coming this way." We see another Large Titan enter the Wall, though it hasn't spotted me or Conny who are on the Wall.

"Good grief," I sigh. "Conny, Sasha, Mina, we'll distract it. Thomas, you kill." From my view, I can see Thomas' surprise. Oh, I think I killed him. Yet I have faith he can make the cut, literally and figuratively. I push myself off the Wall, gathering the attention of the large monster. "Hello there. You look hungry." Keeping its eyes on me, I nod to the girls, who quickly zip in and maim the Titan of its arms. Conny and I descend, taking the legs, then I watch Thomas take flight. "Thomas, end it!"

"Yah!" Thomas flies over the grounded Titan, slicing the nape in two halves. He lands beside me, completely starstruck by what he did. "We managed to beat it…"

I pat him on the shoulder. "No, you did." I look to Conny, who glances at the top of the Wall. "Thomas, Conny, to Eren!" Us three boys skim up the side of the Wall, landing on top to see the presence of the Colossal Titan vacated. Thomas runs for the Wall's edge in search of Eren while Conny and I stay in place. I want to believe Eren got him, but a nonreassuring pit in my belly tells me otherwise. This… This is just like five years ago, yet as I look at my hands and uniform, caked with the blood of three Titans, I remember that no, it is not the same. I cannot let that happen.

"Eren! Where'd he go? Did he get away or did you take him out?"

"He's gone! Exactly like five years ago." I curse under my breath. Damn thing has a huge amount of hot steam to generate. If Eren did get close, the Titan used the steam as a defense. "He's here one moment and gone the next….just like that." As he joins us on the Wall, Eren steps forward dejected. He looks to me, knowing we share the same feeling, but apologizes to the three of us. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't apologize," Wagner says. "Look at us. We were too scared to move."

Conny wasn't having it as he turns to Eren to yell at him. "Hey, wallow on your own time. In case you hadn't noticed, there's a breach. We have to act now! We've taken a few out, but that's just the beginning. If they start pouring in, that's it!"

"Besides, Eren," I say as I walk to my friend, "there is no way I would expect you could have beaten him on your own. Nice try, but it wasn't going to happen."

"Look alive!" We turn to the sound of an older fifth male, a member of the Garrison Regiment. Fashionably late, as always. We salute as the soldier approaches us. "Operation Colossal Titan Response is in effect. I expect you to take part! Report to HQ! If you got close to the damn thing, we need details!" As if it'll make a difference, the Colossal Titan is gone.

"Sir! We pray the Advance Team will be victorious!" As the soldiers pass us, I take a breath. I do not know what it is for, why I am taking it, or even why I held it in, to begin with. Am I afraid? Am I unsettled? Whatever it is, I'll have time to beat it out of me as we head to the Garrison HQ.

* * *

Sadies is a pain in the ass, but the captain of the regiment we're with, Kitz Woermann, is a different kind of pain. But for leading the regiment, I can applaud his foresight in planning ahead for the presence of the Colossal Titan.

As we assemble, the captain shouts his orders. "I want everyone split into four squadrons, as we practiced. All squadrons are responsible for supply-running, message relay and enemy combat under the command of the Garrison Regiment! The Intercept Squadron will take the vanguard. Cadets will take the middle ground, led by the support squad. Rearguard will go to the elites. I expect you all to man your posts knowing the Advance team has been wiped out." I gasp, surprised that the work I, Eren, and the other cadets with us started ended in failure. That could have been us if the Advance Team had arrived a moment later.

"That's right, the outer gate is history. The Titans are in. This means the Armored Titan is likely to reappear. If and when he doesn't, the inner gate will also be history." Flashbacks to five years ago replay in my head. The Armored Titan wrecking the inner gate of Shiganshina...crushing my parents underneath a boulder...My fists tighten as Woermann continues his speech, but it falls on deaf ears as the sound of my racing heartbeat is all I hear.

Let the armored bastard show. I'll break through his exterior and cut the nape myself. As the soldiers begin to divide up, I feel a hand touch my shoulder. "Mina?"

"Hey." The girl's face is filled with sadness, the source I cannot determine. "I'm...sorry about earlier. Hesitating to join you in battle and all."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Given the situation, I'm happy you joined at all." I place my hand on her shoulder, comforting her. "Now you go out there and put your training to use, okay? Keep Eren Armin, and Thomas alive for me too."

Mina gradually smiles, brightening her face. "I'll do my best. Oh, and do you have it on you?"

I touch my upper chest. "Always." Before I retract my arm, Mina throws herself on me, hugging me tightly.

"Whatever you do, Joshua, please stay alive."

"I will. For no matter where I am, you are with me, Mina."

* * *

"Hey! What did you just say?"

_Conny, always the hot-head. _After checking my gas and my still dirty uniform, I look up to see Conny confronting an older girl by the name of Ymir. She barely moves her eyes to him, keeping her leaning posture on the wall. "I said it sucks to be stuck with an idiot."

"What?!"

Before I can intervene, Christa takes it upon herself to do so. "This is no time for bickering! Agh… I've had enough to this!" The blond turns to me, hoping I'll be willing to resolve this. "Ymir, Conny, you two are always fi-"

"Okay, okay, we get it!" Ymir pushes herself off the wall, stepping towards the younger woman. "Just for you, Christa, we'll make nice with each other… Okay?"

Conny sighs. "Well… There's not much point arguing at a time like this, I guess."

"Anyway, let's try to work together, alright?"

Ymir rolls her eyes. "I wish you guys would stop getting in Christa's and my way all the time."

I click my tongue as I begin to step away. "Please, Ymir. Don't flatter yourself, no one wants to be in the vicinity of your way."

Conny sighs as he follows, agreeing with me. "Ugh. You just can't keep your mouth shut, can you? Let's go already!" He leaps off the building we're on, leading the way to our position in the city. "Our job is to support the middle guard. Let's put what we learned to good use!"

I catch up with Conny, smirking challengingly. "Count your kills, and if Sasha's meat is still around, the winner gets a bigger slice."

For a moment he seems to accept, then he groans somewhat defeated. "You are going to win anyway."

"Ha! We'll see."

"Are you two done comparing dicks?" Ymir joins us, followed by Christa. She points ahead, where we can see a Titan's shoulders and head towering a building, his back to us. "We got one coming up." Ymir, Conny and I push ourselves forward to be the first to get to and cut the Titan's nape. Unfortunate for us boys, Ymir gets ahead pretty rapidly, thus allowing her to get the first kill of our mission.

I hear Conny mutter "Bitch" as the three of us join her on a rooftop nearby the fallen Titan. Ymir points to a herd of Titans to the east of our position. "I count five or six over there."

I take out my telescope, confirming that there are indeed six Titans. Three are large class, two are medium, the last is barely visible due to its small size. "Okay, games are over. We need to work as a team. Three of us will distract and attack the extremities of the Titans, one will get the kill."

Ymir makes noise before patting me on the shoulder. "You kill, oh so fearless leader. We'll distract them for you. Is that okay with you, Christa?"

She nods. "Works for me. Don't do anything stupid everyone."

I look to Conny, who silently relents to our plans. "Great, let's commence the attack."

* * *

The six targets are down, I look like I bathed in blood, but we manage to regroup with minimal losses. Conny almost messed up, but Ymir saved him by removing the Titan's arm before it grasped him.

I land first, then Conny beside me. "Look at Joshua go!"

Ymir and Christa come over, the older lady shoving Conny aside. "You'll be 100 times more useful than that idiot over there."

"And who the hell are you talking about?" I look to Christa, sighing at the lost cause of cooperation between Ymir and Conny. Before one of use can reprimand them, Conny points behind me. "That smoke… It's a distress call. I'm gonna go help!"

Ymir scoffs. "Leave them be. That's not our job."

I turn to Christa. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going. There's no good reason to ignore their call for help!"

As she and Conny head off, I turn to Ymir. I laugh with a smile as I follow after them. "You know you're going now."

"Shut it." It takes us a minute to get over from one side of the city to the other, but we move as quickly as possible without spending too much gas until we finally reach our destination. We discover a Large Titan in the area, its target a cadet. As it reaches down for the cadet, I come down, amputating the limb and watching it fall a little too close to the cadet. She'll live, but her attacker is cut down a second later by Christa.

Regrouping once more, I wave to the cadet as Ymir spots another smoke signal. "Red signal. It is an urgent one."

"Let's get going." Our path to the red signal is uneventful as we come across no Titans, but as we arrive, we see a church surrounded by the monsters. I also spot Armin, Thomas, Eren and Mina defending the church. I swing in close to Eren, saluting him.

He spots me. "You're alright! Thank goodness!"

Armin, still tense as he was when we were preparing for battle, points to the attacking Titans. "Save the small talk for later! We got a Titan coming our way!" My group directs itself to the back of the church where Armin pointed out the approaching Titan. Taking the lead, I take out a flashbang out my pocket and throw it in the face of the Titan. It flashes, blinding and confusing the Titan, only for Conny and Christa to take out its legs and Ymir to slice its nape. I loop around to the Titan Eren's group is having trouble with, using their distraction to take another Titan's life with my blades.

Regrouping, Armin waves as he points in another direction. "That's all the Titans around here. Let's go, Eren. We're heading that way."

I nod. "We'll head to the north then. Stay safe, all of you."

Eren salutes me with two fingers. "See you later!" As Eren's group flies away, I turn to mine to see Conny checking his gas stores.

"Are you low, Conny?"

"Yeah."

I check my own. It seems we're all getting low on gas. "Alright. Conserve as much as you can. We're heading back to headquarters."

* * *

After getting back to headquarters and helping eliminate nearby Titans, my group makes a quick resupply and rejoin the battle. After a few minutes of slaying Titans (and getting quite bored of the ease of it, personally), Christa calls out to us. "A Titan is approaching us."

"Good grief-Woah!" The Titan is a Large-class, but its looks are definitely different. It has strange orange markings on its arms and legs, making it not the typical Titan but definitely not on the strangeness that is the Colossal or Armored Titan.

Ymir folds her arms as we get a look at our enemy. "We can't ignore it. We have to take it down here and now."

Conny, once more, is first to charge. "You're pretty good, Joshua. Not as good as me, though, obviously. I'll take this one down!"

I roll my eyes. "Whatever you say, Springer. Christa, with me, go for the legs."

"Alright!" The two of us burst low for the knees while unintentionally gaining the Titan's attention. Now Titans usually don't have much expression besides the face they're set with, but something about this one made me worry. It isn't Abnormal, else I wouldn't order for our usual tactic, but this one isn't exactly normal either.

My fears had its worth once the Titan proceeded to move towards Christa and I. It lunged forward, scooping its arm to catch us. "Move!" We react at the last second, Christa disengaging his charge by dropping to the ground, I shooting myself upward above its hand. Concentrating on me as I land on the side of some houses, I watch it dive forward. I move as the Titan crashes in the house and the ones adjacent to it, landing on the ground, trying my best to not panic. _What the hell is with this one? It has so much energy._

As it gets up, Ymir swings through, severing its right leg and limiting its mobility. It crashes back on some buildings, leaning on them for support. Conny sees this as an opportunity to take it out. With a cry, he comes at the Titan from its left, cutting out its eyes before wrapping around and cutting the nape. At first, it looks like he made a deep enough cut, but as the Titan continues to tend to its loss of sight, I see that Conny barely even cut the nape. It's more of a scrap than at cut. Pissed off, more so that this Titan was very adamant in making me its lunch rather than Conny's failure, I burst forward, slashing my blades deep enough to cover the road, buildings, and me in a shower of blood.

Regrouping, I look at Conny, still peeved. "You want to say you're better now?"

"I'm sorry!"

"Stop being a cocky shit and being unable to back it up." Sighing, I wipe as much blood from my face as possible. "Though I don't know what that Titan's problem was."

"That was nothing," Ymir says, pointing in the direction of the headquarters. "Let's retreat already."

* * *

As we head out to the city a third time, we hear a scream. It could have been anyone in the world, but for some reason, it sounds like...Armin?

"What the?" Conny and the rest of us pause in our movements as he points to the west. "That came from the direction Eren and the others went! Hurry!" We zip as fast as we can to Eren, Armin, Thomas, and Mina's location, only to see three of the four looking off to the distance. I land beside Mina, turning in the direction they are looking...just to see a Titan hugging the steeple of a church. It moves its head slightly to the right, showing a human caught between its teeth. Upon closer inspection, I believe I recognize the hairstyle. Holding my breath, I hold my telescope to my eyes to see that it is Thomas that is caught between those teeth.

"Thomas!" The Titan holds his head back, making us watch in horror as the monster slurps down my friend like a noodle. A switch flips inside me, burning me with rage as I step forward. _"Yeah, I'm good… Matter of fact, I have a better idea. We'll personally train together."_

_Thomas' jaw almost dropped. "W-What? But...why would you want us tagging along with you?"_

_Mina's eyes became wider than her face. "Yeah. We'll just slow you down. Why burden yourself with us? You hang with Jaeger and his gang, don't you?"_

_I smile. "Sure, but… We come from different places in this world, but the fact remains that the Titans want us gone. Thomas, you want the Military Police, Mina, you gave your goals, I have mine in the Scouts. For all I care right now is that we get through this together." I stick my hand out, eyeing them challengingly. "Now either you accept my offer, or prove Sadies right."_

"THOMAS!"

Mina tries to reach out for me. "Josh! No!" I ignore her pleas, bursting off the roof. I heard Eren right behind me, cursing the Titan aloud as I do so in my head. _I'm going to kill you. I'm going to gouge your eyes out, lacerate your throat, and rip out your stomach to get my friend! _As I come close, I hear a cry from behind. I turn to see Eren fall and slide on several rooftops. I abandon my crusade to look for my comrade.

I spot his fallen form hanging dangerously off a roof. "Eren!" He's unconscious, bleeding from his head and his left leg is severed. Below, I spot the Titan that might had gotten to him, chewing happily. I look back down the street, seeing Armin, Mina and a Garrison soldier after us. I wanted to continue my chase, but then a greater horror happens. The soldier collides with a giant head. Mina has one of her ropes snatched. Another soldier is captured. Armin, stunned in shock, falls to his knees as he looks at Eren's body. I shake myself. Where's Ymir, Conny, and Christa? Were they...No. I cannot lose anyone else.

I head back down the street, ignoring Eren and Armin, heading to the Titan that now grasp Mina in its hands. "Mina!" I have my blades ready, but just as I prepare to make my rescue, I spot another Titan just underneath me in the road, the one that got Eren. It tries to bite me from below, but I react quick enough to dodge but not fast enough to avoid crashing through a window. Landing on my sides, I roll until I hit a wall with my head. My vision blurs, but through the haziness, I watch as Mina is swallowed.

"_This is it." I step aside, allowing Mina to view the valley outside the campgrounds. She gasps with awe, amazed as I once was that such a beautiful place in the world is just meters away from the hell of the training camp._

"_Wow. It is beautiful."_

"_Yeah. Reiner and Bertholdt brought me, Eren and Armin here our second night. Some nights I come here to escape, but tonight I want to share it with someone else." I step beside her, our arms brushing each other. I gaze forward as she turns to me, her white face turning a little red. "Wait, me? You...chose me?"_

_I nod. "Of course." I look to her, her eyes swelling a bit with tears. "Why are you crying? Matter of fact, you said you wanted to give me something earlier today."_

"_Oh, right." She reaches in her pocket, pulling out a string with a wood carving linked to it. The carving is that of the Scout's logo, the Wings of Freedom. I gasp as she hands it to me, tears streaming down her face. "I made you this since you want to go to the Scouts when we graduate next week. I...want to give you something to remember me by, to know that I am always with you."_

_I smile and work my head through the loop of the necklace. A perfect fit, I let it fall around my neck. "I love it. Thank you, Mina. Much better than the notebook Thomas gave me. He really told me that I should write my adventures down."_

_Mina laughs. "I think you should. I'll read them."_

"_Maybe I'll start tonight then." I turn back to the valley, letting my left hand fondle the carving. My right hand is filled by one of Mina, her head resting on the upper part of the limb. We stand together for who knows how long, but for some reason, I want to stay in this spot forever._

Adrenaline spiking, I leap out the window and yell as I stab the twin blades in each eye of Mina's killer. "GIVE HER BACK! GIVE HER BACK!" With the hooks firmly attached to the Titans head, I repeat the motions until I grow tired of it, swing around, and cut the Titan's nape. It falls on its back, its mouth hanging open. I keep to high ground, watching, waiting, hoping that Mina will crawl out the monster's mouth and I can come out as her hero. I hold on to the carving wrapped around my neck, praying to whoever is a god that the one girl besides Mikasa that I care for is going to crawl out any moment now. There's no way she's dead.

But like the time I wasted sitting here, like the tears I let wash my face, like the prayers I sent up, it is useless to believe Mina is even alive. I don't remember who I hear screaming, whether it is mine or someone else's down the street. All I feel inside is three large holes in my heart. One for Thomas. One for Mina.

A third, at this current moment, I cannot explain.


	4. Battle of Trost: The World I Saw

I pick myself up, tired of wallowing in my sorrow. It has been a few minutes since I regained my mind and regrouped with my team. Once we were out of relative danger, we picked a spot to recuperate. In the moments I had been allowed, I rubbed my thumb on the carving Mina made a necklace for me. One of my best friends, Thomas, is gone. Mina, a girl that I cared much for, is gone. That's when I remembered Eren and Armin. I have not seen them...and though it will hurt me to know their fate, I _must_ know firsthand if they are dead or alive.

Ymir sees me stand up, knowing exactly without a word to her, Christa, or Conny as to what I plan to do. "Hey, you're not thinking all your friends are going to come out of this alive, are you? Get your head out of the clouds."

I walk right past her before stopping. Whether motivated by grief, anger, or the feeling of helplessness to save the two people who trusted me most, I stop to address Ymir's "concern". "I watched Thomas and Mina get eaten. I know they're dead. As for everyone else, I want to believe it, but I know it's impossible."

Ymir nods. "Yeah, exactly. We're all potential Titan fodder, every single one of us. So how long do you think we're going to last in this, huh?"

"No, you misunderstand me." I turn to her, my eyes burning with stinging tears. "I want to believe the others are dead, but I know it is impossible! So that's why I am not giving up. I can't save all my friends, but the ones I can, I will do so!" I look to Conny, who looks back with a nod. I know he's with me. I face Christa, the young woman prepared for another bout with the Titans.

However, she is hesitant. "Josh, are you sure you are ready to go?"

I shrug. "I'm angry, but besides that, my health is fine."

"Alright. We should assist the other units, especially the elites. Let's go!" We soar towards the rear of the city, taking much care to avoid any Titans. Everything is quiet until I see a golden flash in my right eye. I look towards it, gasping as I zip towards the person I am quite happy to see. "Armin!"

We land in front of him, yet despite my excitement to see him, I cannot say he's too excited to see me. He seems to be in shock, the only response he gives to our presence is "Oh…"

"Armin," Christa says, "are you okay? You look awful."

Conny looks around. "Aren't you in a squad with Eren and the others? Where did they go?" Besides me, only Ymir knows the fates of two of them, Mina and Thomas, but Christa and Conny are clueless. Though he brings up a good point, where is Eren. Last I saw him, he was laying on a rooftop. Matter of fact, I realize that this is the same area I last saw Armin and his squadmates.

Christa gasps. "Armin...You… You don't mean…"

"Isn't it damn obvious? They've been wiped out! Every last one of them! Except for this poor bastard."

"Shut up! Let Armin speak, okay?"

"This is no place for a chat. We're way too exposed. The Titans will eat all of us as well!"

"Why would they ignore Armin?"

"I don't know. Maybe they thought he was already dead or something. It was unfortunate they encountered Titans. I can't say much about Eren and his squadron if only Armin survived."

"You've said too much. I'm going to make you shut your mouth."

Christa steps between the bickering Conny and Ymir. "Both of you stop it right now! We're all in a state of shock. We saw our friends being killed like animals. You can't help it."

While they bicker, I kneel down to Armin. "Armin."

"I'm worthless. Why can't I just die?"

"Armin!" My stern tone gains his attention, and no more words need to be said between us. Eren is gone, it hurts me too, but I'm alive. He's alive. We got plenty of more fighting to do. I believe he realizes this as he takes my hand and stands up.

"Joshua… Sorry to be a nuisance." He passes me, still demoralized. "I'll rendezvous with the rear guard."

"Armin." He takes off, heading for the back of Trost. I want to go after him, but that's when Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie join us.

"This is no time for a rest, you guys! The Titans are closing in! Civilians are still at risk. If the Titans get past the rear guard, we're really gonna be in trouble."

Christa lowers her gaze. "I know, but…"

"Is something wrong," Bertholdt asks.

"We haven't seen Eren or the others. Armin is also acting weird."

Annie responds. "We haven't seen them either."

"Look," Reiner commands, "there's no time for this now! Let's gather all the surviving troops together and do what we still can against the Titans!"

* * *

"I thought the vanguard was destroyed...but they're in the back. Are they still evacuation civilians?"

"Looks like it."

I turn to Reiner. "What shall we do then?"

"We have to help the middle guard and try to stop these Titans!" _Fine with me. _We see a group of Titans ahead of us. Forgetting the strategy Eren and I originally made at the beginning of the invasion, I head forward by myself. My rage has displaced all rational thought, but my skills make up for it. With speed and tenacity, I solo three of the five Titans we were engaging, taking no care for my safety. Reiner and the others didn't try to slow me down as we crossed the city, taking on the Titans while assisting the middle guard.

"This is for Thomas," I cried while swinging underneath a Titan's crotch (thank God for the lack of genitals) and launch myself skyward, free falling my way down to cut the nape. "This is for Mina," I cried as I cut down another, starting from the legs up to the arms then the nape. "This is for Eren," I shouted as another Titan was blinded once I cut its eyes out before cutting its life.

I didn't know how much time had past once I and my new allies regrouped, but apparently, we did a lot of work. Reiner, however, gestures me over to him for a private conversation. "What's up, Reiner?"

"Are you alright?"

"Is helplessly watching your friends die 'alright,' because if so, I'm peachy."

Reiner sighs at my sarcasm but lets the subject go in favor of a more important one. "How's the civilian evacuation? Could you check how things are going with the rear guard?"

"Rear guard?" That's where Mikasa is, and last we talked, Armin is heading there too. I nod, somewhat eager to join with Arckermann for some reason. "Yeah, I'll check things out."

Reiner pats me on the shoulder. "We'll take care of everything here. We're counting on you, Joshua!"

* * *

"Dumbass." I make it to the back of Trost District, seeing a crowd of civilians blocked from leaving the city due to some idiot "president of the merchant guild" trying to heave his overstocked cargo through the Wall. Even at a time like this, assholes will be assholes. From my perched position, I see a mother hug her child, probably telling her everything will be okay. Ymir's words to me earlier, that we're just Titan fodder, begs me to let it be the truth, but as I watch this child, I am reminded of another who lost his mother and father five years ago.

Even if Ymir is right, I want her to be wrong for as long as possible.

Footsteps to my left gain my attention. A Titan comes down the road, running quickly towards the crowd. However, it ignores the Garrison troops behind it. Titans are not picky about their humans, but some will ignore those nearby for a greater catch elsewhere. Sometimes they do things that are unpredictable. We class them "Abnormal" due to the abnormal behavior they exhibit. I prepare to jump in and take out the Titan, yet it falls before I can make my move, just a few meters from the civilians.

Its killer is Mikasa. She lands on the corpse's head, checking her weapons before noticing the standing witnesses to her kill. "What are you all doing?"

"Good timing," the merchant asshole says to Mikasa. "Make these morons push my wagon! I'll pay you handsomely."

"Right now, my comrades are dying back there. I can't help your crisis. They are dying from fighting Titans."

"Exactly! It is your duty as a soldier to die for the survival of the citizens! Don't get high on yourselves because of the safety we had for the past hundred years!"

If that set me off, I know Mikasa is just as triggered. She steps off the Titan and walks through the crowd, blades still are drawn. "I wonder if they understand the value of one person dying for the sake of someone else? At times, the death of one is necessary to save many."

The president apparently has friends as the step up to protect him as he threatens Mikasa. "Don't you dare! Your commander and I are old friends! One word from me and you'll be court-martialed!" The grunts come after Mikasa, only to meet my fists.

Mikasa keeps on walking, barely acknowledging me as she steps up to the balding merchant. "How will a dead body speak? As Mikasa raises one of her swords, the merchant realizes that she is serious, and steps back as her blade come down.

"Wait!" Mikasa's sword hovers just at his throat, the stare she gives daring him to make another threat. As he shakes, the merchant sighs and orders his men to remove the wagon, thus allowing the people to escape through the inner gate.

Mikasa and I stand together in silence, watching the civies pass. I notice the mother-son pair stay behind, the little girl waving to me and Mikasa. "Thank you, miss!"

"Thanks to you, we'll live. We are forever grateful." Mikasa gasps but says nothing as she sheathes her swords and salutes with her fist over her heart. I do the same, then we leave the pair behind.

"You handled that well, Mikasa."

"Thank you for jumping in when you did." Is that thanks from Mikasa? Does the girl know how to give it? I smile to myself as she continues talking. "What brings you to the rear?"

"Reiner asked me to check up on things back here. Now I see." I intentionally leave out the other happenings. I don't even know if Eren is dead, only Armin knows the truth. I sigh as I fell a drop of moisture land on my head. I look up, seeing rain fall from the sky. Great way to raise the mood.

We join with the rest of Mikasa's team. The leader, Ian Dietrich, congratulates her on handling the situation well. "Thank you," she responds. "However, I attacked too hastily so my blades are now dull." She ejects the blades. "I'll do better next time."

Ian frowns. "What on earth have you lived through to be so nonchalant? I mean-forget it." He turns to me, standing behind Mikasa. "You. Middle guard cadet?"

"Yes."

"Well, you're here now. Help us protect the civilians. Though...the middle guard couldn't hold them off?" I step away to prevent myself from answering that, Mikasa following behind.

"You are coming with me?"

"Yes. Let's take care of everything here first and then head over to Eren."  
_You better be alive, Eren._ "Yeah, let's do so."

* * *

The evacuation is successful as the inner Wall closes and the withdraw signal is given by bell. I watch the decaying Titan corpses while Ian comes to Mikasa and I. "That's the squadron, Ackermann and Hardin. Let's scale the Wall."

I consider it, but as I look to the city I remember my comrades that I left behind in the middle. "No can do, sir. With all due respect, I am assigned to the middle and my squadron is still out. It is my duty to go back." _And hope they are indeed still alive. _I step away, but apparently, I am not alone.

"I will go with Joshua and help the vanguard withdraw." Despite Ian's protests, we head off to the center of Trost. I look to Mikasa, knowing her true goal is Eren. Still, I remain quiet. What can I tell her, that Eren is dead? She'll know the truth eventually, right? It is wrong of me, but as long as she thinks Eren lives, she will fight on. She does not need to sink in the hole that I'm in, not right now.

"You're hiding something from me, Josh."

"If we get out of this mess, you'll know it soon enough." Now that I push that thought out my head, I begin to think about where the hell Armin is. Last I saw, he was broken, but would he be as careless as to put himself in danger?

Back on the front lines, we place ourselves on a steeple. I situate my new green cloak around me to make it more comfortable as we spot other Garrison soldiers standing on the rooftops. "What are they doing?"

"They must have heard the withdraw signal. So why are they not climbing over the Wall?" Mikasa turns around, gasping as she nudges me. "Look!" I look to our left, seeing in the distance the Trost District Headquarters...surrounded by Titans.

"Let's go!" We head towards the HQ in a frenzy, hoping that the soldiers scaling the Wall would see the swarm and try to help us liberate it. But before we made it, we spot our fellow cadets sitting on nearby rooftops together. Among them is Armin. He sits by himself, possibly still in the shock I last saw him in some time ago. _Still, no signs of Eren. And now Mikasa is with me..._ We land with Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, and Marco, though. Bertholdt is first to see us. "Mikasa! Joshua! Weren't you two with the rear guard?"

I nod. "The evacuation is completed as you asked of me, Reiner." He nods his acknowledgment.

"Annie," Mikasa says. "I know how bad things have gotten. I know I'm pushing forward my personal concerns, but have you seen Eren's squad?"

My former squadmates look to me for a moment before Annie answers. "Some squads made it back. But I don't know about Eren's."

"I think Armin is over there," Reiner says. Mikasa immediately leaves for Armin, while Reiner looks back to me. "You didn't tell her."

I look away, biting my lips. "I cannot tell her something I do not know is true. Armin is the only one who can and who should." I step after Mikasa, knowing that if I cannot bring myself to tell Mikasa that I _think _Eren is dead, how can he tell her he _knows_ Eren is dead? As I get there, she kneels in front of Armin.

"Armin. Are you hurt? Are you okay?" His only response is dropping his head lower, to hide his face more from Mikasa. I catch my breath, swallowing it back down in fear. _No, Armin, tell her._ She stands up, searching around. "Where is Eren?" Armin begins to hitch his breath as tears drop from his eyes. Mikasa either doesn't see it or ignores it in annoyance of Armin's attitude. "Armin?"

I step up. "Mikasa."

She turns to me, beginning to panic. "What have you been hiding from me? Do you know where Eren is?"

Before I can respond, Armin looks up, tears streaming down his eyes. Mikasa's face gravely falls as Armin kneels over. "We… The cadets of Squad 34... Thomas Wagner, Nack Tierce, Milieus Zeremski, Mina Carolina, Eren Jaeger… These brave five upheld their duties. They died valiantly on the field of battle! I am so sorry, Mikasa! It should have been me that died. I… I couldn't do a thing. I'm useless."

Mikasa, her face void of emotion, turns back to me, seeing my own fallen expression. I do look back at her, and in her eyes, I see that she understands why I didn't tell her. She just lost Eren, but I lost Eren, Mina, and Thomas. Unlike Armin, however, I knew where to direct my grief. She kneels back down to Armin, taking one of his hands in hers. "Armin. Calm yourself. We haven't got time for you to get emotional right now."

"Huh?"

"On your feet." She helps him up, and with that business done, she steps beside me. "The headquarters."

"Right."

"Marco, if we get through the Titans at headquarters, we can refuel our gear and everyone can get back over the Wall. Is that correct?"

Marco ponders Mikasa's suggestion for a moment she walks past him. "I...guess so. Even with you leading the attack, there's just too many of them."

She turns around sharply. "_I _can do it."

"What?"

She draws a blade and holds it up. "I am strong. I am stronger than all of you. I am very strong. I have the ability to slay all of the Titans that block our path! All by myself." Despite Mikasa acknowledging her skills rightfully superior to everyone, I know her words are nothing but air. _Someone is too overconfident right now. Or just feigning it, because Mikasa, you are hurting right now. _"Either you are just not as skilled as I am or you are all spineless cowards. It's really too bad. All of you just sit here on your hands and wait here. Sit here and watch."

A cadet girl speaks up. "Wait, Mikasa. What are you saying?"

"Are you going to take them out, the two of you, by yourselves?"

"There's no way."

"If I can't beat them, then die. But if I win, I live. The only way to win is to fight." With that, Mikasa looks to me before leaping off. I smile to myself, knowing the reason she spoke that way was not to flaunt her skills but to make our comrades feel inferior enough to join her. I let the others handle themselves as I tend to Armin.

"What's too bad is the way you try to motivate people," I overhear Jean say. "That's supposed to help us? This is your fault, Eren!" He raises his sword and his voice. "Hey! We weren't taught to let our comrades fight alone! You all will really become cowards!" With that, Jean, Conny, and my other friends head off.

"Armin." Armin looks to me, his eyes dry but face still wet. "Wipe your face. Use this sadness against the Titans. Eren didn't give his life for you to cry over it. He gave his life away so you can live his dream in his place!" I walk ahead, turning to the other lingering cadets. "You heard her. I've killed more Titans by myself than most of you combined, so has Mikasa. If we can't beat them, then we die. Lest you die not like the sorry shits you are if you stand here." I activate my ODM, chasing after Mikasa. I get past Jean and my other squadmates, while they tried to avoid fighting, giving me more Titans to bring down.

"Joshua!" I turn to Armin, who is pointing up to Mikasa, at least two blocks to my right. "Mikasa is using too much gas!"

"Huh?" I turn to Mikasa, seeing indeed she's moving too fast. Armin is correct, she's using too much gas. If she runs out… I knew she wasn't right in the head, not that I could say anything, but even in my foolishness, I conserved my gas and blades. While I desire to catch up with her, to tell her to stop, I'll be expending my own fuel too much for that cause.

That's when it happened. Mikasa's gas went out, and the girl collapsed out the air and hitting the top of a building. I watched Armin go after her, leaving me in front of the cadets. "Joshua! Jean! You lead the rest forward! I'm going after Armin!"

I shake my head. "No, I'll go!"

"Don't be stupid! There are still Titans everywhere! They'll need your abilities!" Conny is right. After Mikasa, I am one of the strongest. Conny knows my abilities firsthand, so if he trusts me to lead, then I trust him with Armin and Mikasa.

"Fine. Go. Jean, Sasha, with me!" Conny departs while Jean and Sasha join my side.

* * *

"HA!" My blades cleanly cut the nape of the Large Abnormal, its physique marked with the orange marking and its aggressiveness also heightened, much like one of the Titans from earlier. It proved to take all of us to beat it, but it came at a cost.

I am now one of few cadets with enough gas to make it to the headquarters, not including the possibility to combat the Titans. As we regroup, I stand with Reiner, looking at the headquarters as if it is indeed an unreachable goal. "We're not going to make it. I don't think all of us can."

"Tom! I'll save you!" A cadet flies over us to the street, apparently trying to rescue another. I stroll over to Jean's still body, watching the unfortunate deaths of three cadets. Jean closes his eyes and, based on his gritted teeth, begins to beat himself over it. He did tell them to stop, but besides that, there is nothing else he can logically do. I let him know that by gripping his shoulder.

"Joshua. Please tell me you have a plan in mind."

I wish I could tell Jean and the others that I did a good. I would take the current cadets who had enough gas to the headquarters and try our luck. However...I said nothing because how much of a plan is that if it gets us killed. So no, Jean, even I do not have a plan. It makes me rage inside. I must say it. It is our only shot. I turn to everyone, holding my sword. "Those that have enough fuel, we must continue. Those that do not, wait here."

Reiner, Bertholdt, Sasha, Annie, Jean, Ymir, Marco, and Christa are all that remains with me. Too few to fight, too many to sacrifice. As he walks up, Reiner pegs me a question. "If we're really going in, this is our chance. You ready?"

Before I answer, I look down at the Titans. They're so preoccupied with eating the foolish cadets that they haven't noticed us. "They haven't noticed us," I say aloud.

Jean then rushes off along the roof.. "Let's go! Make a break for HQ while they're distracted!" Deeming it a plan better than my own, I follow after Jean, the others joining in. We run along the rooftops before we have to use our gas again, and I command everyone to conserve as much as they can for as long as possible. While we're in flight, I try my best to clear the way, but some Titans are spared from death. I hope my friends avoid them because I am not looking back until we stop.

And we don't stop until we lunge ourselves through the windows of the fortress. Jean and I are first, followed by everyone who survived being caught by the Titans. It wasn't many, but it is much better than what I had planned.

"Joshua, we…" I turn to Bertholdt, who looks surprised that we actually made it. "Have we… Have we made it, Joshua? Is this the end of the road?"

I shake my head, then turn to look at everyone. "We did well to survive this far. I'll be honest, I can close to death so many times even I nearly lost hope." I bring my hand up to my neck, touching the carving lightly. "We have indeed lost many along the way, but...maybe our training is paying off after all. Either that...or we got lucky. Whichever case it is, I hope it continues for all of us. Now that we're here, let's investigate as to where the supply team went." I look to Sasha, winking at her. "Then I believe we have a special dinner to consume."

As Sasha begins to pant like a dog, Bertholdt smiles. "We never did get around to that dinner of meat we promised ourselves, did we?"

In the moment of respite that we have, I think of Mikasa, Armin, and Conny, wondering if they're okay. Then I think of a potential miracle to please happen, a miracle that gets me and my comrades out of this.

It comes in the form of Jean bringing a man from under the table and punching him in the face.


	5. Battle of Trost: An Unexpected Ally

**I decided to upload a night early, just in time for the beginning of Season 3 Part 2. I am so pumped to return to Shiganshina and**** whatever new surprises there are to be!**

**I am almost done writing the Trost District Arc, two chapters from now, and then we'll have a break from the anime's events. Those who played or seen the game know what is next before the Scouts begin the expedition outside Wall Rose.**

**Enjoy Ch. 7**

"You cowards! You left us out there on our own! People are dead because you didn't have the guts to do your job!" Seems we found the supply squadron. Before Jean could beat the shit out of the soldier, Marco held Jean back while a female soldier placed herself between her comrade and Jean.

"The Titans were coming at us from every angle! They overran the supply room, okay?"

"It's your job to deal with it and back us up anyway!"

"Jean!" I step up, facing Jean in an attempt to calm him down. "Getting mad right now is not going to get us anywhere, no matter how justified you are! We made it here, we'll take care of the situation, we'll supply ourselves." Jean seemed to calm down, though Marco still held him. I turn to the woman, kneeling to her level. "What is the situation in the supply room?"

Before she could explain, a voice behind us (Reiner's?) yells "Hit the deck!" The wall breaks, sending rocks and humans flying. Outside the hole is the smiling face of a Titan. Shit, they know we're inside. There's too many of us in this one space, and they smell a trapped feast.

"Everyone, get inside! Let's move!" I direct the cadets, moving in their panicked states but at least they're mobile. As I look back, I see Jean frozen, staring down the two Titans outside the fortress wall. "Jean!" I run to him, but pause as a new development occurs right in front of us.

The Titan whose head formed the hole has a gigantic fist squishing his head. Both of us gasp in surprise as the head disappears, replaced by a long-haired Titan that roars at the ones it hit.

"Wha… What the… My god."

"Did...that Titan...hit the others?"

Standing in our shock, we barely register Mikasa, Armin, and Conny joining us through the windows. Breathing in relief they're okay, I nod in acknowledgment to their presence. Jean speaks. "Mikasa, you're…"

Conny taps on his gas tanks. "Wow. Close one. I was running on fumes. We made it here, though! Crazy, but we did!"

Jean is still confused as he walks to Mikasa. "You… I … Am I dreaming this, or what?"

Conny slaps Armin's back. "You're a goddamn genius! From now on, as far as I'm concerned, your word is law!"

I cross my arms, now wondering just what got Conny so excited he's not acting like the brat he was earlier. "What is going on?"

"Check it out! We found an Abnormal that's got a bone to pick with its own kind. And the best part? He couldn't care less about us!"

"A Titan that fights other Titans?" If I hadn't just seen it, I wouldn't believe it. And Armin came up with a plan...to lead it here? I glance at him, seeing that he's back to his normal self. He is no fighter, but he saw potential in this abnormality. _Eren would be proud of you._

"That's right, you heard me: This big beautiful SOB's our ticker out of here!"

I nod. "That's a good idea. Fight fire with fire."

"Listen to yourself's," Jean shouts, "a Titan is not going to help us! You're out of your mind if you think this can work!"

I shrug. "Why not? It seems to be working to me."

"It _is_ working," Mikasa sternly states. "For whatever reason, he's rampaging against them. Stand back and let him do it. Trust me. You'll see. Either way, what choice do we have? Right now, that thing is our best chance at survival."

Jean rescinds himself from the argument. Now we have an opportunity we cannot miss. "Everyone, listen up. While that Titan keeps the other Titans busy on the outside, we need to get to the supply room. We refuel, we use our big ally to get to the Wall, we come out alive."

* * *

Jean inspects one of the rifles he, Marco, and a group of cadets found inside. "Are you absolutely sure buckshot is the way to go? Seems like we might as well throw spitwads. I mean, come on, guys. Are guns even effective?"

"I don't know," Armin confesses, "but they're bound to be better than nothing. We're looking at eight Titans in the supply room, of the 4-meter-tall variety. If we time this perfectly, this much ammo ought to be enough to do the trick."

I nod. "Alright Armin, what is the plan?"

"Step one, we lower a group into the area via lift to get the Titan's attention. Step two, when the Titans come within range, the group fires in all four directions simultaneously, blinding them. Then the hard part. The moment of truth, as it were. Before the Titans have time to recover, eight of us swoop down from the ceiling and strike their vital regions. That's it. That's the plan. It puts all our lives on the line. We screw up, we're dead. That's a hell of a risk for one attack but it's our only chance. eight people have to slay eight Titans in one blow, at the same time. We're going to need the best of you. The eight soldiers most physically gifted and adept with their paring blades. You'll be the difference between life and death for the rest of us. I'm sorry. That's it."

_You aren't sugarcoating this, Armin. Even if you were, everyone knows the risk. _As Armin's words weigh heavy on my mind, I am sure I am not alone in this. The last two steps have no guarantee to work. The eight soldiers indeed have the most vital job, for there is only one shot to take the Titans out.

"Seems like a sound plan," Reiner says.

Annie speaks up afterward. "When you get right down to it, the risk is the same for everyone. Doesn't really matter who goes." I tighten my lips. Annie might actually believe that but in truth, the chosen eight _do _matter.

"Look, I… I'm willing to be talked out of this. One half-baked strategy can't be our only option, right?"

Marco leans over to console Armin. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Come on, with our situation? 'Cause for our only option, it's pretty well thought out. If we give it our all, we might just pull this off!"

Armin looks to me and Mikasa for the same confidence, possibly because ours hold the most weight. "It'll be fine," Mikasa says. "You just have to be confident. You're a better strategist than you give yourself credit for." Armin gasps, possibly to refute Mikasa's claim, but she continues. "I'm serious. That mind's saved Eren and me more than once."

"When did I ever save you? That's not…"

A cadet calls for everyone to jump in the lift. We now stand, but Mikasa, Armin and I stay in place. "You didn't realize it at the time. We can talk about it later."

"In the meantime," I finally say, "you can rest assured we are confident in your plan, Armin. It will work." Mikasa and I walk away from Armin, joining Conny, Annie, Bertholdt, Reiner, Sasha, and Jean, the obvious eight to take out the Titans. We walk down the side steps as everyone else continues to file inside the lift.

"Okay," Conny says with some shaking in his voice, "I'm going to ask the obvious question. Can we do this without ODM gear?"

"No problem," Reiner says confidently. "These guys are only four meters tall. Their weak spots are not too far above eye level."

"He's right," Jean says, "Size won't be an issue."

Sasha turns to Conny. "The spot's still only one meter high and ten centimeters across."

"Back of the head to the nape of the neck! Worst comes to worst, you can always just shove one up their ass."

"That's the other weak spot? Are you serious?"

I sigh at Conny's ignorance but decide to play along, sarcastically saying, "That's news to me! Did I miss a day of training or something?"

"Come on. Knock it off, Reiner. You want your final words to be an ass joke?"

* * *

We get in our positions, watching the Titans wander the room below us. Thankfully, there are still eight from the supply squad's report. I wonder as to why they don't notice us, could be the low light at our high positions, could be that our distance to each other doesn't amplify our scents, could be that we're too quiet for their ears to pick us up. Whatever the case is, as soon as we hear the lift make its way down, we get ready.

The others come down, moving their guns in position as the Titans take notice of them. Some cadets begin to panic as the monsters come closer (and they are literally level with the Titan's faces, hence their added fear) but no one misfires. I can feel my stress rising with the closing distance between the lift and the Titans, but my blades are ready to descend.

_Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes._

It all happens at once. The command is given, the guns shoot the eyes of the Titans, I and the other six make our move. I swing, hoping I made the cut as I land. Beside me, Conny falls on his stomach. I look up, seeing my Titan fall down dead. _Bingo. How did everyone else do?... Oh shit._

"U-Um... So sorry to attack..."

"Shit." Only two of the eight Titans stand, and to my luck, it is Conny's target along with Sasha's. The second time today he has failed to cut down a Titan in my presence. He gets up, his eyes withering in size while Sasha gets all squeaky in her voice as we back up.

"...from behind."

"Sasha and Conny!"

"Hurry up and help them!"

"Lead him the hell back!"

"Conny move!" I step aside as Conny continues to have the Titan's full attention, then make my move. Gaining some air, I leap towards the Titan's nape and cut it down. I spot Mikasa being worship by Sasha, which would be humorous in any other given situation. Now with the eight Titans down, Armin's plan comes to full fruition.

I look to Conny, trying my best not to be annoyed with him. He nods to me. "I owe you one."

_You'll owe me more than one at this pace. _I sigh, rather focus on our escape than to worry about being owed. "No problem."

"Wow, by the skin of your teeth." Reiner and Bertholdt step up behind me. "You're damn lucky you didn't end up worse off."

"Hmmph. Possibly." I walk off, joining the rest of the cadets to resupply.

* * *

"This will let us escape… Come on!" Marco and I leap out the hole that was at one point our doom. Now that we're able to escape, we make our way out to Trost.

And the beserk Titan is still kicking ass. As Marco and I pass it, he comments, "Yeah… It doesn't seem interested in us. It's just killing the first Titan it sees."

"After a day of having them try to kill us, this is nothing short of a relief."

"We've gotta get rid of all the Titans around headquarters to clear a path for evacuation." I silently agree, taking the lead. As we begin taking the Titans down, I start to wonder if the beserk Titan is in a class like the Colossal and the Armored Titans. Like those two, it has some intelligence to it. It fights almost human-like, not the flailings of a Titan. Also like those two, it happens to, as far as we know it, not care for a human diet. Yet, there is something else missing. If there was a Titan like this, where was it five years ago? To add, where is the Armored Titan? Something quite isn't right.

After a few minutes of Titan-slaying, Marco and I regroup on a rooftop. I keep my thoughts to myself, deciding to discuss it with Armin and Mikasa later on. He, however, speaks his. "I thought we were doomed but I'm starting to see a glimmer of hope. No matter how desperate things get, there's always a way if you don't give up."

"That is true. If I'm going to be honest, I did not think we'll escape the headquarters. Or even make it, to that degree. My plan to take a few would have certainly gotten us killed."

"It's thanks to Jean that everyone could gather at headquarters. He, like you, is a natural leader."

I raise an eyebrow. "Me?"

Marco looks to me and nods. "Yes. Conny spoke of how you and Eren were first to engage the Titans when the Wall broke. While everyone hung in fear, you two used that fear and the past experience to take up arms. He also claims you save his ass on more than one occasion today. You handled your squadron very well. I think your team is the only one that all four cadets are still alive. And knowing how close you are to Eren, Mina, and Thomas… Today must be hard. I'm surprised you are still going the way you are."

Instinctively, although it is probably the third time I might have touched it today, I reach for Mina's carving. "I…"

"That Titan's amazing!" Behind us arrives Conny and Sasha, the former pointing to the head of the raging Titan. "It's almost like he's angry."

"Yeah." I turn to them, now that the immediate path is clear, we can get moving. More cadets join up with us, though none one else I'm more familiar with is within. "Alright. Conny, Sasha, Marco, we'll take point and rout any Titans in our way. Everyone else, be careful. Let's get to the Wall." We begin our mission, carefully moving through the city. Any Titans that we encounter, the group stops and the four skilled cadets take them down, but the number of Titans and the time to take them down seem to make the Wall seem farther away than it actually is. It got to the point I wished the angry one was with us.

"I wonder what the deal is with that Titan," Sasha inquires during one of our mobile attempts to Wall Rose.

Conny shrugs. "It must be an Abnormal, right? That would explain it."

"It could be." As we come closer to the Wall, I hear footsteps coming closer to us. "Everyone, part!" We either dive to the left or the right as a Titan runs through a building just to get to us. Thanks to my timely command, no one is killed. I turn myself around, firing my hooks to the runner. "You three, get rid of any Titans in the area. Everyone else, get to the Wall!" With a burst of gas, I'm off, flying towards the running Titan. It slows down, hoping to make another attempt to catch one of us, but I lower myself, nearly skidding with the ground, and raise myself up to swing horizontally to its backside just to remove both legs one after the other. It falls on its stomach, helpless and open as I hail from above to sever its nape.

As I leap up to a roof, I'm joined by Marco, seeing the other cadets ascend the Wall. I take a breath, happy that we are successful. "We did it."

Marco pats me on the shoulder. "Now you cannot say you aren't a leader. I'll help guide the others. You go check on headquarters." I salute Marco farewell and begin to head back to headquarters. As I get close, I see Mikasa standing on a rooftop alone. Following her projected direction, I see from my aerial position our ally Titan being cannibalized by normal ones.

I land beside her, not believing my eyes. "Holy shit."

A third person steps on the roof, the person none other than Armin. "What are you doing? We have to leave now!"

"Look. Down there." Armin follows Mikasa's words, gasping as he sees what we see. As he is being consumed, the Titan groans either in pain, helplessness, or both.

"Cannibalism? Can he not regenerate like the others?"

"I do not think it is his ability to regenerate, I've seen him repair his hands, but he's being eaten faster than he can regenerate."

"This may sound stupid, but I was hoping he'd be the key for us. That he'd help mankind break the cycle. Turn the tide just long enough to give us a little ray of hope."

"He's too valuable to just let die." We turn, seeing Reiner and his usual group plus Jean with us. "There's too much we can learn from him. I think it's perfectly clear our priority should be to ward the scavengers off him. He's no good to us picked apart."

"Are you out of your mind?" I'm starting to believe Jean is not going to die from digestion, but from the crazy ideas we put out there. "We've got a path out of this nightmare and you want to stay?"

"Think about it," says Annie, "having an Abnormal as an ally would be an incredible advantage, right? A cannon's got nothing on a Titan who likes to rip apart his own kind."

"You. Do you hear yourself? He's not like a new friend!"

"Oh no." I turn to Armin, seeing his distress face once again. I follow it to a Titan walking in the vicinity, but besides it being a Titan, I see no need for the raised alarm he presents.

"What is it?"

"It's the one that ate Thomas!"

_I land beside Mina, turning in the direction they are looking...just to see a Titan hugging the steeple of a church. It moves its head slightly to the right, showing a human caught between its teeth. Upon closer inspection, I believe I recognize the hairstyle. Holding my breath, I hold my telescope to my eyes to see that it is Thomas that is caught between those teeth._

_"Thomas!" The Titan holds his head back, making us watch in horror as the monster slurps down my friend like a noodle. A switch flips inside me, burning me with rage as I step forward._

_"THOMAS!"_

_Mina tries to reach out for me. "Josh! No!" I ignore her pleas, bursting off the roof. I heard Eren right behind me, cursing the Titan aloud as I do so in my head. I'm going to kill you. I'm going to gouge your eyes out, lacerate your throat, and rip out your stomach to get my friend!_

I had forgotten about this Titan. I had forgotten my promise to it. Unconsciously I draw my blades and step forward. I hear the roars of the angry Titan, but I ignore it, leaping off the building to avenge my fallen friend. As I come close to it, the Titan turns, me being the last thing its droopy eyes see before I dig my blades through them. I work my way down as I rotate around its body, coming next for the throat and cutting it, then spiral down to the abdomen, making a fresh, deep cut on it.

_Promise kept._

As I land on the side of a building and turn around for the kill, I see our friendlier Titan, suffering from its arms and some skin and muscles ripped off, use its mouth to bite down on the neck of the Titan. He raises it up, using it as a makeshift weapon against the Titans that were eating it. Once the area is clear, he drops Thomas' killer and roars triumphantly.

Then it collapses.

It begins to send steam in the air, much as other Titans do when they die, however, I spot something strange around the upper back. Something bizarre… That mystery rises out the Titan. Despite the steam, despite my inner thoughts denying what I am seeing, I know exactly what I am seeing. It is a human.

I see Mikasa run down towards the human, leaving all denials I have behind as I launch down towards her. Landing on the ground, I pay the murderer of Thomas one final piece of my attention. I avenged him just as I avenged Mina. I will miss them both...but the gods answered one prayer at least, in the strangest fashion.

* * *

We hoist Mikasa and the human up to the top of a tower, and we stand away as Mikasa continues to hug and cry. I stand beside Armin, my mind still trying to process the impossible.

_As I come close, I hear a cry from behind. I turn to see Eren fall and slide on several rooftops. I abandon my crusade to look for my comrade. I spot his fallen form hanging dangerously off a roof. "Eren!" He's unconscious, bleeding from his head and his left leg is severed. Below, I spot the Titan that might had gotten to him, chewing happily._

"Armin, is it really him?"

"It's him. But his arm. His leg. I don't understand. I watched him get eaten. I watched him die. I saw…" Armin begins to break down, kneeling before Eren's body and taking the latter's left hand. "How is this possible?"

A moment of silence passes before I hear Jean's voice. "Okay. So, uh… Eren did all this?" That is when the one thought that my blocked this entire time finally gains entry. I turn back to Eren, my lips are tight as that one thought resonates within me.

"Eren," I say to myself, "how are you a Titan?"

* * *

**Honestly, this chapter makes me happy. Making a self-insert is one thing, but actually immersing yourself in the world is another. I actually felt happy writing how Thomas got avenged, and actually felt some justice from it. Makes me more excited to write the story...even the one part...**

**This chapter was almost slightly different from what you're getting. Originally, up until this very moment I am uploading, Joahu replaced Sasha as the seventh member of the Titan-killing team. But after a little convo with Sasha the player characters get in the game after the Battle of Trost and how Sasha and Josh interact the next two chapters of this story, I decided to add a Titan and add Josh to the team instead of replacing Sasha.**

**Also, I read some reviews about the possibility of ships since Mina is...gone... All I will say is that Mikasa (not because of Eren, but due to the fact I want Josh and her to have a brother-sister relationship that, quite honestly, I haven't seen her have with Eren. That's beside the point) and Annie are out. Not a lot of options remaining but I have already made the choice. But it'll be a while before anything comes of it.**

**Anyway, next chapter, Josh and the others stage a final fight to escape Trost. Eren and his three closest friends are in peril.**


	6. Battle of Trost: Human or Titan

**Welcome back! Another weekend, another chapter. By the chapter's title, you know what is going down.**

**I shall also say that the beginning to Season 3 Part 2 was amazing. I did not expect everything to happen in the first episode, and if you've watched the trailer, most, if not all, of it was the first episode. Most season openers are chill, maybe a little exciting, but this one raised the bar for me personally. Plus that one moment (I won't spoil) when everything started to kick up, when we get to that part here, I'll say it is only fair Joshua takes the spotlight there. As you know, we will head to Season 3 in this story, which the game will catch up to this summer.**

**Cannot wait for episode 2, but for now, enjoy Chapter 6!**

* * *

"Hey look, we can't go back to the Wall now." I look up from Eren's Titan to see what Jean refers to. Titans begin to swarm the road in front of us, blocking our immediate route to the Wall. Now with Mikasa in her state plus an unconscious Eren, we're in a pinch.

"We have to make a path," Reiner directs. "Armin, take care of Eren and Mikasa! I'm going!" Reiner leaps off, followed by Jean, Annie, and Bertholdt. I draw my blades, but turn my head to Armin.

"Hey, Armin."

He looks up. "Huh?"

"As soon as we get the path clear, you need to go. Given the nature of these Titans and our numbers, we can't stay here long." He nods and I leap down, joining the others in the fight. We maneuver our way through the Titans, taking them down one by one. Yet the thought of Eren still dominates my mind. When I last saw him, he was down, bleeding, nearly dead. How in the world did he become a Titan? How is it possible for a human to become a Titan?

In all the years I've known him, this hadn't been possible. Armin said Eren was eaten right? Lost his arm too? How do you explain becoming a Titan because you were swallowed? No one, and I mean no one, has done that before, or else we would already fight fire with fire. So...is there even an explanation, because I know one thing for sure: Eren doesn't know this himself.

"Joshua! Look out!" I stand on top of a building, clearly letting my thoughts get in the way of the mission as I turn to see one of those large, dark-colored, orange-marked, very hyper Titans charge towards my way, demolishing any structure in its path. I barely escape its lunge, letting it bodyslam the building I stood upon before taking flight. As I distance myself away from the Titan, the others swoop in, taking out its arms together. From my position, I lift my telescope to accurately pinpoint the Abnormal's nape and fire my hooks and gas. Seconds later, the Abnormal laid on the ground, me standing on its head.

I catch up with the others, in time to hear Reiner say "I just can't believe...that Titan was really Eren."

"Reiner…" I look to Bertholdt, seeing a wayward look on his face. I wonder what it is for, but ignore it for Jean's usual shouting.

"Dammit! When is Eren going to wake up?"

"Eren's gonna live, right?" Annie asks this of me, though I don't give her an answer. I'm still trying to process how he lived in the first place.

We encounter another one of those Hyper Titans (what I'm going to coin them) by Armin and company's location at headquarters. He's quite the stubborn Titan, so the few of us (including some lingering cadets we saved along the way) swarmed the Titan and reduced it to its trunk and head before I ended its life.

With the area clear, we are now ready to get moving. Jean lands beside me, looking up to the tower from the ground. "We should be able to carry Eren to the Wall now. But what happened to him anyway?"

* * *

"There you are!" Christa, Conny, and Ymir look up towards me as I walk up to them. They situated themselves around a table. I find a spot nearby, sitting beside Jean. The wannabe MP silently sips on a canteen of water, "Thank goodness you're okay!"

I wave to the members of my squadron. "Hi, guys."

Christa looks around us. "Where are Eren and Mikasa? Don't tell me they..." I frown. Why would Christa worry about Mikasa… Oh. Ymir and Christa must have returned to the Wall when the signal was given, though now that I realize it, why didn't Conny head up with them? I don't remember seeing them when Mikasa and I got to the others from the rear guard. Then it registers she also asked about Eren, who we knew was most likely dead when we met with Armin. So...does she means… I look to Jean, who gravely looks away from the others. They know he came in with our group, so they must have asked him before I arrived.

Conny tries me. "Hey. Talk to us."

I sigh. "We can't."

"Huh? Why?"

Jean takes a sip of his water. "I'd tell you if I could. They slapped us with a gag order." Jean says. " I can't."

"A gag order?"

"What the… That's nuts."

"They're nuts if they think people aren't going to talk. Word will get out and it's for everyone to know… Well, that is, if we survive. You got to hand it to the Engineering Corps for putting the heap of rancid Titan corps to good use. Still just a barricade, though. We can't get too comfortable."

I think of the Engineering Corps. As Jean said, they're using the rotting corpses to lure the Titans close to the Wall and barrage them with cannon. I think of Hannes, one of the Garrison troops that survived Shiganshina and actually saved Eren and Mikasa. While I don't consider myself close to him, in the encounter I had with him this morning before I went to cannon duty, he seemed like a great guy. "'_Look after these three,'" he told me, "'especially Eren. Whatever trouble he gets into, Armin and Mikasa will easily be roped in.'"_

_Look where it got me now. _"Yeah." I sigh, turning away from the group. While it seemed as if I was just walking away, in reality, I am searching for Mikasa and Eren. I hadn't seen them since we arrived at the Wall and now that Christa brings it up, now I am getting worried about them. There is no telling what will happen to Eren now that it is known he can turn into a Titan.

"It's over!" I look up to see Marco and Sasha standing with a third cadet. Hold up, is that Daz? Excuse me for wishing it, but Daz survived Trost so far? Heaven works in mysterious ways. "We can't keep fighting and fighting until we're all eaten! We've got to get out of here!"

"Quit it, Daz! Pull yourself together!" Marco shoves the other male off of him. "We're all scared, okay? It's not just you! Look at Sasha! She's still holding her head high even after being ambushed by a Titan!"

The puke Sasha emits a second later says otherwise. She holds her stomach in agony. "My stomach… It hurts so bad! I… I don't think I can fight anymore."

Daz begins to panic again. "I-I can't go on!"

"Argh, enough of you!" Marco spots me standing by, calling me out. "Joshua! Talk some sense into these two, would you?"

I unwillingly walk over to the group. "Alright, listen up Sasha and Daz. We have to control our fear and go on fighting. We made it this far! Daz, you are a man, stop acting like the coward you have the last three years. Sasha...remember what you found today, and think on how much better it'll be if you come out of this alive."

While I might have lifted Sasha's spirits, Daz's were still low. "Yeah, that's easy to say! How the heck do you guys stay so calm the whole time?"

Marco sighs. Like me, he must realize Daz is a lost cause. "Seriously, we're running out of time here!"

"You are so pathetic, Daz. How Shadis didn't weed you out is unknown to me." I walk away, continuing my search for the other residents of the Shiganshina District.

* * *

This search leads me to the roofs of the buildings outside of the inner gate, where for now the Garrison remains. From my perch, I easily spot the gathering of soldiers in one area. They stand on the steps of a theater-like setting, with the lower ground "stage" occupied by Mikasa standing guard over Armin and Eren. Mikasa has her swords drawn, ready to defend Eren if possible, but I can see her worry for him in her face. She's still emotional.

Waiting to see what happens, I settle myself on the roof closest to the gathering, deciding to intervene when needed. I can barely see Eren's face from here, but I can tell he's barely registering where he is. I don't think he's fully conscious yet. Armin hunches over him, either just holding our friend up or actually trying to wake him. Mikasa just stands there, gazing at the multitude of blades drawn against. Oh, she just caught my presence. She stares for a moment but breaks the stare as Armin calls out Eren's name. Apparently, the boy finally came to his senses. Mikasa speaks to Eren for a moment, then it looks as if he speaks back to them, only to be interrupted by the Garrison Regiment captain.

"Cadets Eren Jaeger, as well as Mikasa Ackermann and Armin Arlelt! The three of you have jointly committed an act of treason!" _Treason?! Treason?! No, that's impossible!_ I find my hands on my swords unconsciously. What is treason is killing our one weapon _against_ the Titans! Even if Eren is a threat, the survival of the 104th Cadet Corps is due to Eren defeating many of the Titans when we were helpless. "Whether or not a swift execution is the result depends on you! Any attempt to move from where you stand, anything I deem the least bit suspicious will be met with cannon fire. Do not test me. Answer carefully, Eren Jaeger. What exactly are you? Human? Or Titan?"'

The confusion on Eren's face confirms it. He doesn't even know what happened, at least not consciously. One moment he's being eaten, the next he's going to be shot at. He finds an answer anyway. "I'm sorry sir! I don't understand!"

"Answer me, you monster! Don't try to stall with pretend ignorance! You won't stand a chance! You'll be blown to hell before you can assume your true form!"

"What true form?"

"Please! Scores of us saw it happen! You emerged from the carcass of a fallen Titan in full view of your comrades! We've let a strange creature like you slip through and infiltrate Wall Rose. Under the circumstances, even though you're a sanctioned soldier by His Majesty, you are a risk I am well within my rights to eliminate! I will not let the situation stand! Every moment I squander mulling over your supposed innocence puts us all in further jeopardy from attack by the Armored Titan! Do you understand? I cannot waste any more time or manpower on you! My conscience will not falter to watch you die!"

As the Garrison troops begin to vocalize their opinion of ending Eren while he's vulnerable, Mikasa steps up. I've never seen such darkness on a woman's face in my life, but given the circumstance, Mikasa is well within her right to be angry. But her anger usually gets her in trouble...I prepare myself to jump in. "Excuse me. I wouldn't. Not while I'm standing here. Unless anyone's feeling up to the task, in which case, well, I'm happy to demonstrate my own technique on you and every last inch of your traitorous flesh."

I land right in front of Mikasa, much to the surprise of the Garrison troops. I hold both her blades away from me and the others. "You idiot! What do you think you are doing that is helping Eren?" I look to Eren, nodding to him. "Look what shit you got us in now."

"Guys, somebody talk to me now. What the hell is all this?"

I ignore Eren for the struggling Mikasa, who adamantly wants out of my grip. "Let me go, Joshua."

"Mikasa," Armin calls, "you can't fight against humans! Inside the Walls, there's nowhere left for you to run!"

Mikasa stops fighting me, and I let her go. However, I do not step aside, letting her anger focus on me. "Whoever comes at Eren deals with me. I'll take on the entire regiment if I have to. This isn't the only way!"

"We just need to talk it out. They don't understand what's happening! They're all just scared."

"Armin is right. We will talk it out." I turn around, facing the captain. I knew there isn't a chance he would change his mind-but his soldiers, the masses, that's where I aimed my argument. "Yes, it is true that we saw Eren rise out of a Titan's corpse. But you said it yourself, Captain, scores of us were there. Those cadets that made it to the Wall? They were saved by a Titan who didn't target humans, but other Titans! He's right here behind me! Every man who saw him will make the same claim! If you kill him, do you realize what you have done? He's a Titan we can use to our advantage!"

No one speaks for a solid minute. Maybe I convinced them? My tension lowers but doesn't subside fully. I turn to Mikasa, swords drawn but her aggression not as apparent. If my speech doesn't stop the Garrison, we're dead.

"One more time! Are you a human being or a Titan?" Damn Woermann is a bastard, a scared bastard at that. I turn to Eren, knowing that his answer is now our saving grace. _Say human, Eren! You are a human!_

Eren faces the captain, proudly shouting "I'm human!" The four of us looks to Woermann, hoping that he'll believe Eren. The wind stills, and given my previous encounters with the wind suddenly ceasing, I know the worst is yet to come.

"So you say. Forgive me." He begins to lift his right hand, and we now know our fate. "I'm left with no choice. When push comes to shove, all of us are monsters.

"Eren! Armin! Josh! Head for the Wall!" I follow Mikasa and the others as we scramble to the Wall. Eren fights out of Mikasa's hold, then grabs the four of us as Woermann's arm comes down, and the cannon fires. In a flash of golden light, three things become apparent to me.

One, we're fucking alive.

Two, Eren is gone.

Three, there is half a Titan above us.

* * *

"I...remember hearing the cannon fire" I hear Armin's shuddering voice beside me. "There was a tremendous noise, crushing impact, an immense noise after that, and now we're inside a massive skeleton."

"Eren protected us," Mikasa quickly adds. "That's all you need to understand right now."

I sigh, looking up to our "protector" of a husk. "As if there is more to understand." What more can be said? Woermann ordered our deaths...we lived. Fuck him and the Garrison. If I was a more vengeful person, I'll wish the Titans would eat them all...yet killing Titans trump the deaths of Woermann and his subordinates.

"Hey!" We turn to the running steps of Eren, appearing out of the smoke. "You guys are all right?"

Armin speaks as if he's still unsure of what is going on. "Eren? What's this?"

Eren shrugs. "I have no idea. But this thing is going to evaporate. Just like a Titan's corpse. Let's get out of here!" We get up, but Eren doesn't go too far out of the smoky walls around us. "I don't know if they're gauging the situation or just dazed from shock, but the Garrison's not doing anything right now. However, they'll probably resume attacking eventually."

I dust myself off. "No chance of negotiating?"

Eren looks up to the remains of his Titan. "I don't have the confidence to negotiate with them after showing them this. But I started to remember one thing." He holds the key around his neck to us. "The cellar. The cellar of my home. My dad said I'll understand everything if I went back there. He's also the one responsible for what I've become. If I get to the cellar, I might just find out the truth behind the Titans as well… Dammit!" Eren slams his hand on one of the ribs of his Titan form. "Why'd he hide it, then? Wasn't that the information the legion was looking for, even if it cost them thousands of lives? Wasn't that mankind's hope? And it was locked away in our cellar all along? What the hell was he thinking?"

"Mikasa." I notice the smoke around us clearing, dense to hide us still but enough to filter more light inside. Soon, we'll be exposed.

"He 's left us on our own for five years now."

"Eren." Mikasa grabs his shoulder, interrupting his monologue. "We've got other matters to deal with right now."

"Right." We make our move, but not far. We get out from under the Titan just as the skull falls, giving us more time under the blanket of debris. Eren gathers us together, possibly with a plan in mind. "I'm going to get out of here."

Possibly the worst plan. "Huh?"

"Where are going to go? And how?"

"To begin with, anywhere but here. Then I'll get over the Wall and head for the cellar. After I transform into a Titan again, that is."

"Can you do such a thing," Armin questions.

Eren sighs. "I'm not exactly sure how I'm doing this myself. But I think I can. It's very hard to explain with a word how I move my arm. In that moment, all I thought about was protecting us from that cannonball. That explains the skeleton's decay, losing durability and other functions." Eren makes a fist, determinedly stating, "I'll become a more powerful one this time. One that fifteen meters tall, like when I beat the shit out of those Titans."  
"Eren." He looks up to Mikasa, who with concern points out "Your nose is bleeding." Eren wipes it, but his diagnosis is not over.

"You're really pale and breathing heavily. That's going to be something abnormal with your body."

"Armin's right. You need to rest."  
"I don't care about my health right now. I've got two ideas. As long as you don't try to protect me, they'll let you three stay alive. I've caused you loads of problems already. So I think I'll do things on my own from here."

Armin gasps. "No kidding… I-"

"Eren." Mikasa calmly gazes at Eren and it reflects in her words. "I'll come with you."

"No way."

"If I'm not able to keep up with you, feel free to leave me behind. But at the same time, I'm free to ignore your orders as well."

"I'm telling you to cut that out! I'm not your little brother and I'm not some snot-nosed toddler!" As they argue, I stand up. We're wasting time to make a sound escape. Any moment now, Woermann will order another attack. Why can't we talk about this once we escape on our way back home?  
Home? Wait, when did I decide I would tag along with Eren? There's no way we could make it from Wall Maria to Wall Rose alone! Even with Mikasa, Armin, and Eren's Titan ability, it is suicide. If, _if_, we make it back to Shiganshina, _if_ we make it to Eren's home...then we'll have Grisha Jaeger's discovery. Whatever he was hiding...whatever the key shall reveal… I tighten my fist, knowing that in my mind, no matter how much I fight it, I am just like Mikasa. For the last five years, no, my whole life, I've known them, grew up with them, train with them, nearly died many times today just for them. There's no way I would let Eren off on his own...but logically there's no way we'll make it back home.

"Listen Eren, I won't-"

"Just wait a second, would you? If you recall, I said I had two ideas." Eren now turns his attention to Armin. "Armin, I trust you to make the right decision."

"Huh?" Seems our blond friend is within his own head as I was.

"Now hear me out. And yes, I'm aware of how unrealistic this plan is. The best-case scenario? I try to use my Titan ability strategically. It should be under military direction. This might sound crazy, but if you think you can convince the Garrison Regiment, right here and now, that I present no threat to them, I'll trust you, and we'll go with that option. That's my second idea."

"But Joshua tried."

I nod. "I tried reasoning with them, you are right, but you, Armin, are much better with words than I am."

Eren focuses his stare. "If you don't think you can get it done, then my last resort is the first idea. You got fifteen seconds to decide. Think you can get it done? Listen, I'll respect your opinion either way."

Armin, overwhelmed with the idea he decides Eren's course of action, takes a moment to breathe and comprehend what Eren is asking of him. "Eren, why would you leave such a major decision up to me?"

Eren, despite the situation, smirks. "Because you keep a level head. You always choose well, no matter how ugly things get. I figure that's worth relying on."

"When have I done that?"

"Come on, you do it all the time. Take five years ago. If you hadn't gone to Mr. Hannes for help, Mikasa and I would've been eaten by the Titans."

"Take today as well." I smile to Armin, pointing at the Wall. "You, not me, not Mikasa, is the reason we left the headquarters, that we're not still in there now. You got Eren to get over there. You made a risky plan that paid off. If there's anyone who can make a major decision right now, it is you, Armin."

Armin gasps as if Eren and I broke his mind by revealing how important he is to us. At the same time, the upper part of the Titan's backbone falls apart. "That's how you see me? You don't think I'm a poor excuse for a friend? I had convinced myself that I was just a burden to all of you. But you never… You never thought of me that way at all!"

"Armin! Our time is up!"

"Wipe your face and decide!"

I am proud to say he choose the right decision. We gasp as Armin stands up with determination. "I will persuade them, trust me. You three just act as non-aggressively as you possibly can, agreed?"

_Eren and I will try, though I can't speak for Mikasa._ The three of us nod in the assurance we'll be as non-aggressive as we can. Armin steps away. His discards his ODM gear in surprising fashion before he vanishes behind the smoke. I stare at the gear lying on the ground, my smile fading. I bow my head, letting my thoughts unintentionally become words. "What can Armin say that I didn't?"

"Halt! Halt…. Is this supposed to be your true form, monster? I don't buy it! I'll give the signal to fire, I mean it!"  
"Eren is not a foe of humanity! We're willing to cooperate with Military Command and we'll share everything we've learned about his powers!"

"Your pleas fall on deaf ears! He revealed his true form and because of that threat, he cannot leave here alive! If you insist that he's not an enemy of ours, show me proof! Otherwise, we'll blast him back to whatever nightmare he crawled out of!"

"You don't need any proof!" _Huh? Armin, what are you saying? _"The fact of the matter is it doesn't matter what we perceive him to be!"

"What?"

"As Joshua stated, the reports say hundreds of soldiers saw him and those were there say they saw him fighting other Titans! And by that mean they saw him get swarmed by the Titans as well. To put it plainly, the Titans recognize him the same way they see each and every human being, as their prey! It doesn't matter how else you may look at it! That's a irrefutable fact!"

"Armin," I say to myself. I focused so much on Eren attacking the Titans that I forget that the Titans attacked Eren. How did I...forget such a crucial detail? If Armin's argument is anything, it should be convincing. The Titans don't consider Eren one of them, but one of us. He is one of us.

"Prepare to attack!" We gasp as Woermann's words cut through the silence. Did Armin not convince the Garrison? "Don't let yourself be swayed by his cunning lies! The Titans' behavior has always been beyond our comprehension. I wouldn't put it past them to assume human form. He's speaking our language in an attempt to deceive us! I refuse to let them continue this behavior unchecked!"

"So much for persuasion." I look to Eren, trying my best to stay cool. "When you run, I'm going with."

"Huh?" Eren's confused look is almost comical, yet I'm in no mood to laugh. "Why would you come?"

"Eren, we share the same goal, the extermination of the Titans, vengeance for our parents' deaths five years ago. Is that not what bonded us?" I look away, to the flowers Armin called out earlier. "I owe everything to you."

_On that boat, I silently sat down, tears streaming down my eyes. I do not remember why I had gone to the grocery store for besides getting the required supplies. I do not remember much of the morning before the task. What I do remember is the yellow light, the giant's face, the debris that kills my parents, and the eyes of the Titan with the armored body._

_"Those Titans...I'm going to kill them all." I turned to the right, seeing three other kids my age. I recognize them from school. The only blond of the group, wearing a blue jacket, brown suspenders, and a white shirt is the shy but smart Armin Arlelt. The girl beside him wearing a white dress, a tan sweater, and a red scarf around her neck is Mikasa Ackermann, the toughest girl I have ever met. She scared most boys, but I never felt it myself. Last of the trio stands on the side of the boat, his words being the reason I looked over to them. He is black-haired, wearing dark pants, a green shirt, and a red jacket is the hot-headed leader of the trio, Eren Jaeger. He stared at the water as his friends join him, screaming out to the land, "Every single one."_

_I looked away, down to my hand. A single tear dropped in my palm, and I clutched it tightly. I silently allow Eren's words to dwell on my mind. For my parents...my friends...my neighbors...my hometown...I must fight back and join the military, and the front lines of action too. Not the Military Police who rather stay safe in the capital, or the Garrison who became lax in their protective efforts. I will wear the green cloak of the Scouts, and risk my life to destroy the Titans._

_And with that, if I meet the one who will be known as the Armored Titan, I will kill it myself._

"That day, your words gave me purpose. That purpose...will make me follow you to the end, wherever that may be."With the smoke now gone, I see Armin's fearful expression. We stare back, silently encouraging him.

He turns back around, hitting the salute of the military. "I am a soldier! And I have dedicated my heart to the restoration of humanity, sir! Nothing can make me prouder than dying for such a noble cause! If we were to use his Titan ability and combine it with the manpower we have left, I believe we can do it. We can retake this city! For humanity's glory, in what little time I have left to live, I will advocate for his strategic value!"

"Captain Woermann," one of the two people standing with Woermann, Ian if I remember, says. "His words are worth considering, sir. Maybe we should-"

"Quiet!" Woermann looks back at us, hysteria etched on his face. He begins to raise his hand again. Eren prepares to bit his hand again, Mikasa and I reach for our blades, and Woermann...doesn't bring his hand down.

"That's enough. You should really do something about your nervous disposition, Captain Woermann."

The commander turns to a shorter, older, bald-headed man. "C-Commander Pyxis?"

"Can you not see this soldier's heartfelt salute? I've only just arrived, but I was informed of the situation on the way. You go take command of our reinforcements. I think we could at least do these young soldiers the favor of hearing them out."

I don't think I've ever felt such relief in my life.

* * *

"Nope, not any of you. Being eaten by a Titan wouldn't be so bad if it was a sexy lady one." I look to Eren, both of us wondering what would the Garrison commander consider a "sexy" Titan. He seemed to be quite the eccentric fellow from what I can gather. He listened to the four of us recount the previous battle and recently Eren's plan to return home. He straightens up, folding his hands behind him. "That's that. So, visiting this cellar should clear everything up?"

"Yes, sir. Well, at least I think so."

"For the moment, there is no way to validate all of the claims you've made." He turns to us, though I'm unsure of what his look is readable as. "For now, I'll catalog them in my head. But I can usually tell between the unctuous and the sincere, which is why I personally guarantee your safety." We all gasp in relief, happy to know we'll live another...hour guaranteed. Pyxis looks to my right, to Armin. "You're Cadet Armin Arlelt. Is that correct?"

Armin salutes. "Yes, sir."

"You mentioned a plan to harness this so-called 'Titan ability' and then utilize your friend's power to retake the city. Do you believe it could work? Or were you grasping at straws to try and save your hides?"

Armin's stance slacks a bit. "Uh, well… It's both, Commander. I was going to suggest that Eren, using his strength as a Titan, could lift that large boulder. We could use it to block off the wrecked gate. That was the best idea I was able to come up with on the spot. I-I just wanted to make everyone see how Eren's Titan ability might provide a solution to the problem we all face."

"Hmm." Pyxis turns back to the city.

"Granted, I was pretty desperate to survive."

"Desperate to survive, huh? That's as credible a reason as any, son." The commander takes a drink, walks up and kneels to Eren. "What do you say, Cadet Jaeger?"

"Say, sir?"

"That hole. Do you think you can plug it up, son?"

"Well, I… I don't know. It's possible. But at the moment, I don't understand my power any more than you do. It's just, I sort of feel irresponsible giving you an answer because I don't really know."

"Ah yes, of course. My apologies. I asked you the wrong question. Are you willing to, Cadet Jaeger, or not?"


	7. Battle of Trost: Humanity Wins

**Final chapter of the Battle of Trost. The events of this chapter are in the order of the game, so Jean losing control of his ODM precedes Eren's control problem, plus our hero gets a little treat at the end.**

**Next two chapters are straight from the video game. But there will be references to the anime's happenings as the Scouts prepare for the 57th Expedition.**

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

"_I'll do it. I'll do it! I don't know if I can seal that hole. But I'll do it!"_

"Ahem...ATTENTION!" I'm impressed by Commander Pyxis' lung capacity to shout not only fifty in the air but to make his voice loud enough for the crowd of soldiers fifty feet below to be able to hear him. They must do, for he doesn't call the command again. "I shall now explain the Trost Recovery Operation. Our primary objective is to reseal the hole. As for how the task will be done, first, allow me to introduce you to someone. This is Cadet Eren Yeager." Eren steps forward to the Commander's side, saluting to the masses below. For some of our friends and other cadets, they're probably confused, but Reiner, Jean, Bertolt, and Annie, they know why Eren is up there before Pyxis says so. "This young man is the successful product of cutting-edge research. Cadet Yeager possesses the ability to manifest himself as a Titan."

_What an excellent lie, Commander. Though the truth is much harder to explain...we don't even know it ourselves._

"Having assumed Titan form, Cadet Yeager will hoist that immense boulder on his back and seal the hole with it. Your duties are to protect him from other Titans.

"We don't actually need to fight them," one of the two officers standing with Armin, Mikasa, and I ask the blond boy.

"Sorry," Armin replies, "I know it's not my place to interject."

"It's all right. Just go on with what you were saying."

"Right. Titans are generally drawn to large groups of people. If enough of us collected in the corners away from the hole, we could lure the Titan's away from Eren's path. The Titans will be grouped together, so we can use our cannons and avoid casualties. Of course, we can't leave Eren defenseless. We'll need a modest band of Elites to act as his bodyguards. Also, there may be Titans that enter through the hole. He will depend on the competencies of his bodyguards."

"Okay, got it. We can alter the plan around that."

"The strategy depends on Eren being able to move that boulder. But there is nothing to assure us that he is able to do it."

"Of course. I worry, too. Sending people to their deaths is no laughing matter. But I can understand what the commander is thinking."

"Yes," the other senior officer says, "time is an issue. Titans are still lumbering into Trost as we speak. The longer we wait, the more Titans fill the town and our chance to succeed decreases."

"With that, the chances of Wall Rose being breached increase as well."

"There's something else, too. There's a limit to how we can suppress our fear." The woman's words fall flat to me because I know that to be true. Mikasa and I, admittedly the calmest of our group, each broke down in the previous fight, though our fears were either expressed as foolish rage or overwhelming admittance of defeat. But this time, we'll have to hold it in just long enough to win.

Looking up from my notebook the late Thomas Wagner gave me, I turn to Mikasa, both of us standing away from the planning trio but close enough to hear them. "Hey, do you believe this plan can actually work?"

She turns to me, nodding. "I believe in Eren and Armin."

I look down, continuing my logging of today's events. "That's good enough for me then."

"Anyone wishing to leave will be given by my order not be charged with treason!" Returning my attention to Pyxis' speech, I am not surprised to know some soldiers plan to desert. Our plan, at best, is not guaranteed to work as Armin plans it. There will be some hiccups. At worst… Not even the first step comes to fruition. And the previous battle had its horrors...I wear the gift of one death, the other in my hand. "Those who have seen a Titan firsthand will not be expected to relive it again. Anyone that knows the horrors of a Titan, leave us! Additionally, whoever knows the horror of a Titan but wants their own family to experience the same horror, leave us."

I look up from my journal, appalled by the Commander's words just as I am so every soldier, deserting or not, about Pyxis using the soldiers' families and loved ones as a way to keep them fighting makes me like the man even more. I'm sure it had the desired effect Pyxis wanted.

"I want to tell you a story that happened four years ago. Namely, the operation to retake Wall Maria. I'm sure all of you know this already." The mission that effectively culled the population of Wall Rose and Sina to a manageable size after refugees from Maria arrived and nearly depleted food supplies. It also took Armin's grandfather from us. "Officially, we labeled it reconnaissance. But in fact, it was little more than an exercise in population control. We let ourselves believe a lie because the deaths of our fellow human beings allowed us to survive. The guilt is ours. We have a debt to pay back to humanity. The citizens of Wall Maria survived due to many casualties. But what about this time? If Wall Rose succumbs, the repercussions will be immeasurable. Ther resources within Wall Sina cannot support half of those who live there now. Humanity will be wiped out not by the Titans but through killing each other. We can't kill each other at this Wall. If we must die, let us die here in battle!"

_I will not die today. Not because I do not want to, but because I must not. For Eren, Armin, Mikasa, and the others. For you and Thomas. _I stop writing, closing the book and placing it in my pocket. I hold the carving in my hand, placing a small kiss on it before standing. I turn to Mikasa, nodding to her as she nods back.

It is time to retake Trost from these bastards. Eren, you cannot fail. We cannot fail. This is the only way we'll get back home.

"Not once has mankind ever risen above the Titans. As the Titans move forward, humanity keeps retreating. We've continuously lost territory. But when our strategy succeeds, today is the land taken by our greatest enemy will be reclaimed! It will be the first time humanity has been victorious over the Titans. In comparison to what we've lost, it may seem small. However, this small step is a giant step for mankind.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Eren. You ended up shouldering all the responsibility." I smile at Armin's unintended pun of Eren "shouldering all the responsibility" given our plan for him to carry a boulder, and given the grave nature of the situation, I take the humor as a little relief. I am also the only one to realize it too.

"I told you before, you have a gift for strategy. I believe in you, Armin."

"Eren, I think I should-"

Eren quickly cuts Mikasa off. "Don't say you're coming with me. You're part of the decoy team."

Mikasa is taken aback by Eren's denial of her. "I can't leave you alone! By yourself, you-"

"Enough!" Eren, frustrated by Mikasa's insistence to come with him for the third or fourth time today alone, lashes out at her. "I'm not your little brother or your child! I've told you before."

"Ackerman!" Ian, apparently the leader of the squadron backing up Eren, calls to her. "I want you on the squad that'll be providing Yeager with backup. We'll need your skill." Mikasa is happy as a bunny being given a carrot. "Let's go. Execute the strategy!"

We nod to the squadron leader. Unable to rid himself of Mikasa, Eren turns to Armin and me. "See you, Armin and Joshua. Don't die."

"Yeah. You, neither."

"I have enough trysts with death for one day. Seal that hole, Eren." We split, Eren and Mikasa following Ian, Armin and I joining the supporting groups.

* * *

Whoever put me in the same group as Sasha and Daz is a damn idiot. As we watch the baby-faced Titan approach us on a roof, I twiddle my fingers in annoyance. Sasha, I'm okay with, but Daz looks like he sees a knife ready to remove his...well, what balls does he have left? I try my best to ignore his whimpering as our leader yells "Scatter!" We break apart, circling around the beast as he breaks the roof with his hand. I attack my hooks to his body, and come down swords swinging, eviscerating the nape in one move.

I land beside Sasha, checking my blades. She smiles at me. "You're my hero, Joshua!"

I smile back. "You're welcome, Sasha." We regroup with Daz and the others, taking out Titans in a similar manner as time goes by.

Yet my mind continues to look for the green signal that says Eren's team is ready. Oh, wait, there it is! He's on the move towards the boulder! "This is it, we can do it!"

"Joshua!" I, Sasha, and Daz turn to see Armin swoop down to us. He walks off the landing, pointing to the northwest of our position. There, a red smoke signal towers the city. "That smoke… What is happening there?"

"Let's find out!" We quickly make our way to the flare, seeing a group of Titans in combat with some soldiers. As we get closer, we see that among those soldiers are Conny, Annie, and Marco. I head to the large-class Titan they're fighting, severing the left leg. "What's going on?"

Conny, the closest to me, answers, "Jean! His ODM malfunction! We're waiting for him to repair it."

"Then we'll help you." I fly back up and around, taking out the right arm, then the left arm, then leaving Annie to the nape. Meanwhile, I target a small-class Titan trying to climb up a small wall, immediately cutting it down. As I turn to check my surroundings, I see a medium-class Titan come for me. However, my friends have my back. I watch as Sasha and Daz fly above me, cutting the legs of the Titan off and give me time to get airborne. I am impressed by their courage at the moment, especially Daz, who has been a whimpering coward the entire time I knew him. I don't understand how I have such an effect on people. Thomas and Mina, I turned those two from dropouts to graduates, I gave Sasha and Daz an ounce of courage, probably even more people. Despite what others think, I am no leader. I just want to kill Titans.

"Joshua!" I turn to the others, seeing Jean up and ready to go.

"You ready, Jean?"

"I made a few repairs to my gear. It should work for now!"

"That's nice," Annie coldly states, "but did you notice we're surrounded by Titans?"

"Forget fighting them," I say, pointing to the far side of the city. We need to get back to the Wall." We head out, dodging the surrounding Titans and swiftly to the eastern side of the city.

* * *

It wasn't easy, but we made it to the Wall. I help Armin up and he looks to see everyone here. "Everyone's okay… Thank goodness!"

"Yes." I step to the group with him, looking out to the city. "Hey, has Eren changed yet?"

"Yes, he did. The sky flashed as we were climbing the Wall." We look out to the city, gasping as we spot another red signal, this time coming alongside the south side of Wall...near where the elites should be. If the signal is red...something must have happened to Eren.

"They've...failed?"

"Eren?" _What could have happened? Is he unable to pick up the boulder? Did he...lose control? _I don't hear the sounds of a rampaging, roaring Titan, yet the latter possibility seems to be the most probable. No matter the case, I must help Eren.

"How?" Armin most likely realizes what I did, and begins to run off. Another cadet calls out to him, but only I (in my sight) chase after Armin.

"Hey! Where are you going, Armin and Joshua?!" Marco shouldn't even have to ask that question. I decide not to lecture him and the others about how we owe ourselves to help Eren. I won't ask them to die for him while...whatever is wrong is fixed. We already had one death-defying experience with the other cadets. I rather not go through another.

Soon, we see Eren, sitting with his back on the boulder he's supposed to be carrying. Confused, we land there. The Titan makes no movements whatsoever to acknowledge he knows we're here. Something is definitely wrong. "Eren… Do you think he lost control?"

"Maybe."

"Why now? Earlier, he seemed to have control." I look around for the elite team. There are Titans in the area, and from what I noticed, they are coming this way. Why, I don't know. Are they coming for Eren, because the humans are to the north.

"Mikasa!"

"Armin! Joshua!" I turn to my six o'clock, seeing Mikasa standing on a roof with a Titan's head under her feet. She seems quite surprised to see we are here, though, given the situation, she clearly knows why we're here.

Armin points to Eren. "What happened to Eren?"

"Get away! It's dangerous there!"

I look around. "Sure, the Titans are coming, but how is that any more dangerous than what we've been through already?"

"_That_ Titan isn't acting through Eren's will!" Oh. As I thought, Eren lost control. "I called out to him, but he wouldn't respond. There's no getting through to him anymore!

"What about the plan?"

"It's failed. We're fighting because we can't leave Eren behind! But there are too many Titans. At this rate, we'll eventually be wiped out!" I bow my head. No, this can't be how we end this. There must still be a chance to save Trost and beat the Titans. There must… I turn to Armin, hoping he has a plan.

"From the back of the head to the nape of the neck… 1 meter high and 10 centimeters across." He draws his blade, then begins walking to the Titan's neck.

"Armin?"

"I'll get Eren out of here. You and Mikasa just protect us from the other Titans!" I don't understand what Armin plans, but he's right, Eren needs to be protected. I zip up to Mikasa, drawing her attention to me.

"I am confused just like you, but when Armin has a plan… It is best we follow it." We look back down to Armin, seeing him impale his sword in the nape of Eren's Titan. It roars, clearly in pain given there's a person inside. But it doesn't die. Armin intentionally injured Eren to awaken him. A risky plan, but Arlelt manages to stay on the neck of the beast.

Mikasa, still distraught, cries out to Armin, "Stop, Armin! That's too reckless!"

"Mikasa! Just go do what you can! There are lives you can help save! Leave Eren to me and go!"

Mikasa looks to me, hoping I'll side with her. I do agree that Armin is being reckless, but if it works, it works. "He's right. There's nothing we can do standing here. We must go and protect Eren, Armin, and the others from the Titans." Mikasa clicks her tongue and follows after me...just in time for us to see a Hyper Titan enter the area. I curse as we take flight towards it. "Oh great, one of these guys."

"Go for the nape. We'll take it down at once."

I turn to Mikasa. "You mean we cut the nape simultaneously? That's risky, Ackermann." She looks at me, and if I tell you there's just the hint of a smirk on her face, there's the hint of a smirk on her face. Oh, she's serious. I chuckle as we come in range of the Hyper Titan. Setting my hooks on the right shoulder, I make a leftward arc around the right side as Mikasa swings around the left side. We meet at the nape, Mikasa cutting the bottom side as I cut the top.

There's a nice, clean, sizable chunk of Titan nape ready for the grill landing on the ground, and the Hyper Titan falls victim to our attack in one hit. We land on adjacent buildings, watching our enemy fall to the ground in defeat. I look to Mikasa, smiling. "You're crazy."

"Crazy. Hmph. Seems to just be a normal thing for the four of us."

"Yeah." I look around, seeing another Hyper Titan about two blocks north and three west of us fall down. I can't see the responsible party, but I do spot what seems like a recognizable pale-colored turf of hair. If that is indeed who I think he is, our friends are not far behind. They actually came.

And just in time to. The roars of Eren bellow out from a few blocks behind us, his Titan form standing tall. Armin actually did something, but is it what we need? Yes. Eren, with his immense strength, picks up the boulder and begins to head to the outer gate. We're back in business. "Good work, Armin."

"Eren…"

"Mikasa!" Armin lands behind us, excited as well that Eren is up. "Eren prevailed! He's trying to fulfill his responsibility now! Now if we just cover him until he reaches the gate, victory will be ours!"

"DEFEND HIM!" We face Ian, his face filled with determination. "Even if it costs us our lives, we _must_ let Eren reach the gate! Do _not_ let the Titans get near him! You three," Ian directs Mikasa, Armin and I, "head to Eren! That's an order, is that clear?!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

"YA!" I jump off a Titan's nape, not watching it die as I continue to protect Eren from the Titans. He's almost there, halfway down the road. Mikasa and Armin escort him from the ground, while I dally behind, watching our friend's back.

It hurt to look around me, seeing the deaths of so many of our own, but we know it is a necessity. The Titans will swarm Eren otherwise, and they were already ignoring until we provoked them. Mitabi and Ian are dead, I haven't checked on my other friends, but seeing so much blood spilled for Eren. It is disheartening.

"_Joshua?" I walk along the Wall, looking up to see Christa and Ymir. While Ymir seems not to appreciate my presence (when does she ever?), Christa runs up to me, concerned. "What are you doing here? Where have you been?"_

"_I was with Eren, Armin, and Mikasa."_

"_Eren? You were shot at by the Garrison?!" I see the news got around that Eren and the rest of us were fired upon at Woermann's command. I didn't expect it to spread so rapidly, but it has been two hours since that moment. I guess the last time I saw Christa and Ymir, I did leave suddenly without saying my destination._

"_Yeah. It was not fun, but it gave Armin this plan." I look to the city, tightening my fists. I had no problem with Armin's plan, I do believe it will work, but the cost of success will be too much. Drawing the Titans to the back corners of the city means Eren will be relatively safe, but the numbers will eventually take their toll on us. I turn to Ymir, who still stays away from me, but unlike as she will with others, she doesn't keep Christa away or tries to mess with her. "Ymir. Do you still stand by what you told me? That. in the end, we're just fodder for the Titans?"_

_Ymir closes her eyes. "Do you still believe we can overcome them?"_

"_Yes, I do, but-"_

"_Then believe in that. Many of us are going to die in this fight anyway, probably all of us, but the day we are truly defeated is when the last person changes his belief. Plus, after all you've done today, I know you won't give up. Knowing you, you'll attack a horde of Titans yourself."_

_I turn away from Ymir. "I'm not that stupid."_

"_But if it was to protect Mina, Thomas, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Christa or any of us, you would do so. That's who you are… A leader. A warrior. An inspiration. A hero. Heroes are stupid...but never die, do they?"_

_Christa steps to me, joining my side. "They believed that much in you, Thomas and Mina. I can see that...and I do too! And you believe in Eren! So there's no chance humanity falls today!"_

I watch as one of the elites, a woman named Rico, slashes the eye of the Titan in front of Eren, Mikasa running around and flying up to cut the nape. It falls over, clearing the path to the gate. I fall on my knees in disbelief. This is not the end, there is no way it ends like this. There are no happy endings for us.

Not until now.

With a mighty roar, Eren sets the boulder down, sealing the gate. My jaw hangs low, my tongue dries, my eyes are the dark clouds that pour rain on my cheeks. He did it, no, _we_ did it. We fought fire with fire. We made sure the deaths of many weren't in vain. We saved Wall Rose and the remaining four-fifths of humanity. We stopped the nightmare of five years ago. We beat the Titans!

As the yellow signal darts skyward, so does the idea that for the first time in history, humanity won.

* * *

I land beside Mikasa, looking up to the steaming, squatting form of Eren's Titan and Armin trying to pull Eren out. Titans approach us from behind, either to get us or Eren specifically. "Armin, what is the holdup?"

"How's Eren?"

"He's unbelievably hot to the touch! We need to hurry...and get him up the wall!" We join Armin and Rico up on the Titan's back, seeing Armin trying to pull Eren out. However, the boy is still connected to the muscles of the Titan, and the heat is indeed intense just in the air. "Part of his body is fused to it. I can't pull him out."

"Then we'll have to cut," Rico suggests. I nod in agreeance while Mikasa tries to counter, yet she's too late. Rico makes the cut, freeing Eren, though perhaps he's a little _too_ free. Armin falls down to a lower part of the Titan, just as the towering predators find us. One of them reaches down for Eren and Armin.

"Eren! Armin!" Mikasa and I race to save them, but out the corner of my eye I see a flash of green and a pair of spinning blades. They spin across the Titans' napes, knocking them down to the ground in front of Armin and Eren. In awe, we see the figure land on one of the Titans' head.

"Mikasa?"

"Huh?"

"Those are…"

The figure's back is to us, allowing us to see the emblem of the back. Two wings, one white, one blue. I gasp as I recognize the colors. "...the wings of freedom."

The figure turns to us, revealing to be a man. "Hey, you kids. What exactly is going on here?" We look at each other, unsure of how to explain the situation exactly. The man sighs, then turns to the city. "Hmph… Anyone who has time, come with me!"

My eyes grow wide. A member of the Scouts (a very skilled one at that) wants us to join him? I would say that if this is a dream I need to wake up, but today is nothing but an upward-turning nightmare. I look to Mikasa, then to Armin. "Armin, get Eren up on the Wall. Mikasa, you should have more gas than me. Let's switch. You go with Eren and Armin. I must finish this fight."

"Ok. Stay alive."

I nod to her. "Will do!" We exchange gas canisters, and with a final nod to my friends, I chase after the Scouts.

* * *

As I catch up to the Scout, he turns to me. "You're the only one coming?"

I nod. "Yes, sir. The others have retreated to the Wall." The Scout sighs but continues his advance. "Do you wish to know what's going on?"

"We can discuss things later. Right now, we have to kill all the Titans inside the Wall. You seem like you've still got some fight in you, cadet. Help me out!"

"I'm here to help out, sir!" I say this as I catch sight of an unsuspecting Titan. Darting forward, I quickly execute the medium Titan before it could do anything about it. The Scout looks at me as he passes me, though I cannot tell if he's impressed or if the only expression he's capable of is this droopy-eyed, bored face he has on him.

We continue east, dropping Titans here and there, but when we do, the Scout amazes me. He's not just skilled like Mikasa and me, he makes us look like, how did Ymir put it, "Titan fodder." He kills with such speed and tenacity I just have to wonder how the hell I don't know who he is and why I never looked up to him directly. Each time I make a kill, I wonder what he thinks of me. If he's this skilled of a Scout, e could be my ticket in...if my survival in this battle doesn't speak for me.

Then again, Daz is still alive, I think… Maybe survival is not a good indicator.

We come across another Scout on our way east, though this one my ally takes interest in. As we land on a building's top, we watch our target engage a Titan. My ally Scout calls to the other. "Oruo, do you got this one?"

"Captain! Leave this to me!" So he's a captain, huh? Definitely was right about him. Seconds later, the second Scout kills the Titan, then joins us at our position. As he lands, he ignores me in favor of his captain. "Sir, any orders?"

"Join us. We'll look for the others and eliminate the Titans together."

"Us?" The one called Oruo looks at me, lowering his eyebrow. "He's just a kid! A cadet! Captain Levi, this is no place for a cadet."

Captain Levi turns away, looking to the sky. "A cadet who is willing to fight. We cannot be picky in this situation." His eyes land behind me. I follow to see another pair of Scouts, a redhead lady, and a brown-haired man.

The lady faces Levi, unimpressed with our lack of movement. "Don't you have somewhere to be, Captain?"

"You're late. Have trouble in the bathroom or something?"

"No time for chit-chat. We've gotta deal with the situation at hand!" Levi silently agrees, leading me and Oruo off the roof to the north. Oruo points out that he last saw the other members of Levi's team, Petra, Gunther, and Eld, heading to the north. I stayed behind, watching as the Scouts cleared the way as we progressed. Man, they are as amazing as I expected...wonder how much the Titans must really do if the Scouts always come back with fewer soldiers and more broken spirits.

We find Petra having some trouble with a Titan, in which Levi swiftly deals with. As she joins us, she begins to apologize. "Thanks, Captain! Won't happen again!"

"If you can still fight, get back on the mission."

"Yes, sir!" Petra turns to me as we move, curious as to why I'm with Levi. "And you are?"

"Joshua."

Petra warmly smiles to me. "Please to meet you, Joshua. Wish it was under better circumstances."

Oruo groans. "He's just a cadet, Petra. He's lucky to be alive under these circumstances."

"Maybe he is a good soldier. Most cadets and even some soldiers piss themselves in this situation, wouldn't you agree, Oruo."

Oruo clicks his tongue, nearly biting it. "No idea what you're insinuating." As he turns his attention away from us, Petra and I chuckle. I see the Scouts already have varying personalities, and I'm not officially a member yet.

* * *

Gunther lands with me, stepping up to a waiting Captain Levi, Eld, and the redhead Scout I met earlier. "Looks like all remaining Titans within the Walls have been eliminated."

"What about the hole in the Wall," Eld questions.

"Don't worry." A familiar voice turns me around to see Rico again. She walks with a tall, blond man that I recognize instantly. Yet I keep my composure as the Rico communicates with the others. "Engineers from the Garrison Regiment are already getting started with plans to patch it up."

"This puts a great burden on the Garrison Regiment. I'm sorry we can't be of more use."

"No. We appreciate the reinforcements. If we were on our own..."

"Mhm… Good work, Levi."

Levi looks to me. "If you mean to thank me, you should thank this kid instead."

"A cadet?"

Rico nods. "A member of the 104th Cadet Corps, just like Eren Jaeger, who blocked up the hole in the Wall."

The redhead woman throws her hands up in surprise. "You may not have noticed, Erwin, but I had no idea this soldier was a freshly graduated cadet."  
"I see." Commander Erwin steps up to me, testing my ability to contain myself. "You did well to stand up to your fears and fight, cadet."

I salute. "Thank you, sir!"

"You really did an outstanding job today," the eccentric lady says. She leans in my face, clearly having no notion she's in my personal space and that I'm uncomfortable. "I think you will become a fine soldier." The gaze she has on me spells interest, and I fear for what I'll have to go through if she gets her hands on me.

As I walk away, I totally begin to freak out. I not only fought alongside the Scouts but got a personal thank you from the commander himself. This is good, no great, no awesome. Despite all I experienced the last few hours, this takes the cake. I pause in step, looking to the city below. I take a breath as reality sets in. We won. We beat the Titans. We saved Wall Rose. Wall Maria has to be our next step, and with Eren by our side, we can do it. Eren is humanity's best hope.

Too bad the Military Police don't think that way.


	8. Joining the Scouts: Hange's Choice

**Man... This season is wild. I actually teared up in anger last week, if you know why you know. I actually had to add a section to this chapter just because of it. While I could have held it off for later, Chapter 10 will probably not highlight what happens in the section of this chapter the way the anime does. ****That's all I'll say about it, for those of you who haven't caught up. **

**Anyway, we'll have a few interactions between Joshua and friends before he goes scouting with the Scouts. Next chapter will have the same format. I want to thank you guys for keeping up with me so far in this story, means a lot.**

**Enjoy Chapter 8.**

* * *

The last few days since the Titan attack on Trost has been crazy. Just three days ago, Eren was put on trial, his fate between the Military Police dealing with him or the Scout Regiment using him for their purposes outside Wall Rose. The commander-in-chief of the military, Premier Dhalis Zachary. I'll admit, I leaned towards the Military Police's argument that Eren, unchecked, is dangerous to us, his attack on Mikasa reveals that, but I did not want my friend executed.

Commander Erwin suggested Captain Levi supervises Eren, and the Premier agreed. Eren, in an unexpected way, became a Scout. The commander announced his plans after the tribunal to us cadets, that Eren is our best hope to beat the Titans, and it'll be proven in the next expedition.

After we were dismissed, Eren caught up with me for a private conversation. "Man, there are so many weirdos in the Scout Regiment. I'm sure glad you're here!"

I pat him on the shoulder, laughing. I remember initially meeting the Scouts back during the battle, making the same thought Eren creates now. "Yeah, they're weird...but we've made it. And on Levi's squad too? You get to be with the best team in the Scouts. Believe me, they're good."  
Eren sighs. "Given that Levi thinks his team could kill me if need be, I'll take your word. By the way, I heard Hange picked you out personally. I wonder why, I mean, some of the others got good grades too, right?"

I shrug. It is true, the redhead woman who took an immense interest in me after the battle, Section Commander Hange Zoe, handpicked me for her team. I believe I made an impression on her with my abilities. Surely she's heard stories from others. However, Eren doesn't need to know that. I fold my arms as I turn my head to the side, showing my good side. "Probably because of my good lucks."

"...Yeah, that's not funny."

"Yes, it was."

"No, it wasn't."

"You just don't get the humor."

"You tell bad jokes."

"...You are a bad joke."

"Well anyway," Eren causally segues back to our initial conversation, "I was always intending to join the Scouts, so it suits me. I'm gonna give it my best shot. I don't know how long you'll be sticking around, but it's good to be working with you."

"Yeah, the same to-Wait, huh?" Eren chuckles as he walks away from my confused form, frozen on the spot as I ponder at what he insinuates. Did he just… "Hey! Jaeger! You were the dumbass who got eaten!"

"Yeah, but I won't be the dead dumbass if he gets caught." I watch him walk away, deciding not to punch that little punk. I turn away, thinking about getting some food. "At least I didn't get my ass whupped by Levi."

* * *

My words came back to haunt me as I laid on my back, seeing white clouds and blue sky. I can see Eren, Reiner, and Mikasa standing over me, hoping that I am okay. I try to get up, but with my pride busted twice today, I reside to my fate on the ground. I never knew fighting women, even in training, could be so painful.

"What the heck was she thinking," Reiner angrily says. "She really needs to learn to be a team player more."

"She's impossible to read, isn't she? I have no idea what she's thinking most of the time."

I manage to move my eyes to Eren, wordlessly cursing him. This is his fault, all of it. At the beginning of our hand-to-hand combat session, it was him being on Mikasa's mind that got me a bloody nose when she instinctively dodged my attack. This time, he used an unknown skill on me, hurting me for a second time. He spoke of learning a skill from Annie, and after asking her to show us, she did just that...on me. When you land on your back twice in one day and get a bloody nose, you just want to get and bed and sleep.

Mikasa looks at me, offering me a hand. "You should be careful around Annie. You, too, Eren."

I take her hand, wincing as my body starts to scream. "Ahh-thank you for the advice, Mikasa. You think I haven't learned it?"

* * *

"Woah!" I land in front of the red-brown haired girl who invited me with her on some ODM training. In time, we began to mess around, freestyling in the air. I had just done a triple flip before setting myself for the landing. I'm still a little dizzy, but manage to maintain my stance.

"That was an awesome move!" Sasha excitedly says, holding her right hand to her chest. "I love the way you use your ODM gear!"

"Thanks." We begin to walk through our forest surroundings, deciding that our own two feet is best for casual conversation rather than ODM gear. "You're better than me, Sasha. You made top ten while I didn't, remember"

Sasha's face light up. "Really? Thanks! But you're good too. It's like you're a real hunter. You bide your time, then move in for the kill! If anything, you cannot deny you're a better killer of Titans than me."

I shrug. "I guess I can take that. Joshua, the Titan Hunter. How does that sound?"

Sasha laughs. "_So _scary. I think the Colossal Titan is shaking right now." We laugh for a moment, then Sasha's face starts to drop. "Hey, Josh… I should thank you."

"For?"

"Trost. I know you don't need it, you're not that type of person, but you deserve all the praise you've gotten. You helped me when I was most afraid. You helped all of us, despite that you lost probably the pair you were closest to. I do not know how you did it."

"Oh." I look up to the sky, sighing as I remember the battle. "To be honest, it hurts to wake up, knowing Mina and Thomas are gone. Everything I touch my chest or neck, I scrap my hand against Mina's gift, I'm reminded of my failure to save her. When I write in the book Thomas gave me, I have to hold back my tears to not get the paper wet. But, for the most part, I am holding up. I couldn't save them, but I got Eren, Mikasa, Armin… I even got you." I rest my hand on her shoulder, to which her face slowly burns again with a smile (and a blush).

"I just remembered, we never did get around to that dinner of meat we promised ourselves, did we?"

"Oh shit, we never did. As many times as I brought it up during the battle, I'm surprised we forgot about it." I drop my hand, placing it back in my land. "If it's meat you're after, we'll have to catch it first. Or make another raid."

"I sure could go for a steak right about now… Though it feels weird knowing I'll never get to enjoy it with Mina. There's no use sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves. What do you say we go grab a bite to eat… Hey! I just had a great idea!"

I know from prior experience that this might be a crazy idea. After all, this is the girl who bravely and boldly ate a potato and offered Sadies half of it. Now that I'm roped in this scheme, I am "What is it?"

She stands up, raising me up by pulling my arm. "You want to come hunting with me, Josh? I bet we'd catch some great prey together."

I am hungry, I dare say so myself, but hunting isn't something I've done in years. Since my family lived outside the inner gate of Shiganshina, I frequently went out to the woods with my father. I wasn't any good, probably because I was a kid, but the last three years have changed me. Besides, it might be fun to hang with Sasha in her element. "Sounds great! But I am no good. Haven't hunted in years, wasn't all that great then."

"Great! I'll teach you everything you need to know! It's settled then. Haha, I can't wait! We could make it a regular thing! I bet we'll make a great team!"

Sasha seems happy as we begin our hunt for lunch. For some reason, it makes me happy that she's excited about this.

* * *

"Armin?" I spot my friend out in the dark streets, begging for breath as he hunches over. Seems he just came from a run for some reason. "Hey, you okay?"

"Hahh… Yeah, I'm good."

"Why are you running so late? It's almost bedtime."

"Hahh...hahh… I thought I'll try to toughen up a bit… Decided to...go for a run...before bed…" He finally straightens up, though his breathing is still heavy. "But...it's not done me any good."

I place my hands on my hips. "Armin, is this about earlier, Armin, when Jean said you're more fit for the operations room than the battlefield? When Ymir called you the class goofball?"

Armin drops his head. "Yes."

"Armin, true you're not the...best soldier out of all of us, but you're a smart guy. What you lack in physical ability is up there in that head of yours, and it is as powerful a weapon as Eren's power or my and Mikasa's abilities. More powerful, actually. It kept us alive three days ago."

"Hmph, I don't know about that. I just know I have to close the gap between me and the others somehow." Armin rubs the back of his head, possibly he came up with an idea. "Hey, Joshua… Would you do me a favor? Would you mind working with me while I get my strength up?"

I nod. "Sure."

"Really? That's great! I'd really appreciate it. If you were working out with me, it'd help to keep me on track." I smile as I pat Armin's shoulder and head for the barracks. _Armin is determined to change, though I hope he realizes one day he doesn't need to._

* * *

"Jean... Are you okay?" I see the cadet shaking by a window in the barracks, sitting alone. Concerned, I step over to him. He seems to be delirious, whispering to himself.

"Marco...and everyone..."

"Jean." I grip his shoulder gently, rousing his attention. Moving to sit on the windowsill, I release the boy. "Hey, what's up?"

Jean looks back at me with horror, confusion, fear, and lost. If I heard him right, he said Marco's name. From what I heard, Jean identified his friend's remains, and saying that there was anything remaining of Marco is to be nice about the regurgitated body. I haven't seen Jean since then, not that I was looking for him. However, Sasha and Connie have expressed their concerns about him for the last few days. "I... I can't believe Marco's gone... Thomas and Mina, too. Dead, every last one of them. Joshua, I... I need your advice. Should I just enroll in the Military Police, do you think? Or join the Scouts instead?"

_"I thought we were doomed but I'm starting to see a glimmer of hope. No matter how desperate things get, there's always a way if you don't give up."_

_"That is true. If I'm going to be honest, I did not think we'll escape the headquarters. Or even make it, to that degree. My plan to take a few would have certainly gotten us killed."_

_"It's thanks to Jean that everyone could gather at headquarters. He, like you, is a natural leader."_

_I raise an eyebrow. "Me?"_

_Marco looks to me and nods. "Yes. Conny spoke of how you and Eren were first to engage the Titans when the Wall broke. While everyone hung in fear, you two used that fear and the past experience to take up arms. He also claims you save his ass on more than one occasion today. You handled your squadron very well. I think your team is the only one that all four cadets are still alive. And knowing how close you are to Eren, Mina, and Thomas… Today must be hard. I'm surprised you are still going the way you are."_

"When we left the headquarters, Marco spoke of how great a leader you are. That if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have survived. Coming from anyone else, it'll sound stupid, but... Marco was a smart guy. I liked him a lot. I missed him as well, along with Thomas and Mina. I'll trade anything of them for Daz or Conny about now." I smile at the thought, then look to Jean, seeing that he is laughing as well. "Where you shall end up, I cannot say. That's something only you can decide, Jean."

Jean, calmer now, nods. "Y-You're right, I'm sorry... I shouldn't be asking others to make up my mind for me. Hold on... I'll give it some more thought."

"Good." I pat him on his shoulder again as I see Christa standing in the doorframe. Remembering that I told her I'll meet her here, I rise up but not without given Jean one last piece of advice. "If I were you, and I watched three of my friends, pretty much many of my cadet class die in one day... What would I do if I was given the option to possibly avenge them and the world? Would I protect a city deep in human territory, protect the wall before it, or...make sure their sacrifice to humanity doesn't go in vain? What would Marco, Thomas, and Mina do if the tables were turned?" I walk away joining Christa.

She looks at Jean with worry. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Yeah. He just needed someone else who understands him, now that the one who did best is gone."

* * *

_Present Day_

"Section Commander?"

I walk up to Hange and Moblit, both standing on the sidewalk within the Trost District. She ceases her conversation with her subordinate, looking to me with, dare I say, excitement? "Hey if it isn't Joshua! Eren filled me in all about you! Is it true? Were you really already wowing people before we'd arrived in Trost District?"

"Uhh… I believe so?"

"Well, heck, Hardin! Why didn't you say so earlier? If you're half as capable as Eren says, I'd love to have you on the squad for our next mission. What do you say? Are you ready to head out?"

A mission with the Scouts again before I'm officially a Scout? Hell yeah! I salute excitedly, "As ready as I'll ever be!"

Hange smiles. "That's the spirit! In that case, what are we waiting for! Let's go see Erwin!"

* * *

"Okay Scouts! We've been tasked with getting rid of any Titans remaining in the vicinity of the Wall as part of the operation to recover Trost. So let's get this done ASAP so we can start preparing for our next extra-Wall survey mission. Okay, you know what to do! Let's do it!"

As the Scouts file out, Hange steps up to Erwin, pointing me out. "Erwin, what do you think about the new kid taking part in this operation?"

Erwin looks at me analytically. "Hmph. Well I know it doesn't seem like much, but we'll definitely be engaging with Titans, Hange. You sure he's ready for that?"  
"I think it's the perfect opportunity for him to gain some valuable experience. I'll keep a close eye on him, don't worry."

"Well, I don't want to force him into it. What do you think, soldier?"

I perform the salute as I speak for myself. "I want to take part in the operation, sir. Others can speak for my talent in Trost, as you have heard, so I can take care of myself. Sitting around and doing nothing while there are Titans still around is not preferable to eliminating them."

Erwin nods. "Okay, if that's how you feel, you're in. Let's hope the experience only makes you a better soldier."

"Okay, Hange," Levi speaks to my designated superior, "you brought this kid on board, so you can do the babysitting."

"Of course, sir! And listen, Joshua, come to me any time if you've got a problem, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yeah, you say that," Oruo say from behind me, "but as soon as a Titan appears, he's just gonna be in the way."

Hange looks at Oruo, tapping her ear. "You say something there, Oruo?"

"Oh, um, nothing. Haha."

* * *

So this is why we trained on horseback. I knew the Scouts used horses to travel, but I thought they would handle the training. Best I put what Sadies taught me to good use.

"Thanks for joining us today," Hange says to me as I ride up to her. "You're probably nervous… But we'll be here to back you up." I am nervous, being around the Scouts more so than fighting the Titans I see roaming the area. I don't want to screw this opportunity up.

"I'll be alright, sir."

"And one look at these cute little Titans will make all your nervousness go away!" I feel a sweat droplet fall from my forehead. Did she call these Titans...cute? I thought Pyxis looking for an attractive Titan was weird but this takes the cake. We haven't encountered a definitive female Titan yet (if there is one) so both Pyxis and Hange will have to wait on it. I still cannot believe I promised the Garrison commander that I'll tell him if we encounter such a type.

"So then, let's take care of the ones nearest the Wall first." I follow Hange as we charge out to the fields outside the outer gate of Trost.

* * *

"HA!" Another Titan dead by my blade, I land on the ground near my horse. Hange looks at my handiwork with slight disapproval. I, however, am proud to prove myself in battle. Our objective to clear the Titans closest to the Wall completed, I hop on my stead and ride to my superior. "What's next?"

"Good job, Joshua!...I'd prefer that you capture them alive, though."

Capture...Titans? Is she serious? "Huh?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't learned how to capture Titans. Next time, then." Turning to the south, Hange spots a red smoke signal. Her eyes grew wide with excitement, turning and snapping the reins of her horse in a fervor. "More Titans? Splendid! I can't wait to meet them! This is why it's fun to fight on the front lines!" She turns to me, seeing my dazed expression. "Hurry up now! Aren't you excited to see what Titans are waiting for us?"

_No, not exactly. _I follow along with Hange, pushing our horses to the outskirts of the Trost area. As we came close, we could visualize the situation. There are two Titans outside of the canyon leading to the city, in which the Scouts are engaging, one a medium-class, the other a large-class. As we ride up, we see their execution by one Scout. He lands on the head of the larger Titan, noticing our approach after checking his blades.

"Hange, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in charge of the Wall."

Hange chuckles as we ride by. "Oh, Miche, we finished everything there. So I wanted to take this special chance to meet more Titans!" We lead the charge into the canyon, Miche and the other Scouts using ODM behind us. The first Titan spotted is trying to climb the cliffs, leaving its nape exposed to the world. I take the opportunity to dash towards it, killing it before it knew what happened. A second, more active Titan (and when I say active, I mean it) is nearby, but I give it its swift end by dashing under its crotch (the one thing I thankful for is the lack of genitals on these guys) and swooping upwards to excise the nape.

As the Scouts catch up to me, I catch Miche telling Hange "Wow...not bad for a cadet."

"That's why I selected him myself."

* * *

By the time we made it to the other side of the canyon, we've eliminated a great majority of the Titans. Standing by a homestead, we regroup ourselves once the coast was clear. After checking my blades and gas, I join up with Hange and Miche.

"We managed to survive their attack. Hey, you, cadet, what's your name?"

"Joshua Hardin, sir."

Miche pats me on the shoulder. "I'm Section Commander Miche Zacharius. Glad to have you."

Hange chuckles. "You've received high praise from humanity's two strongest soldiers now and two Section Commanders." Miche must be number two, after all, I've seen Levi. I shake Miche's hand, giving him my thanks, just before a Scout walks over to us in a hurry.

"Section Commanders, we've spotted smoke! It seems to be a distress call!"

Miche nods. "Oh really? I'll take care of it."

Hange (and I by extension) excitedly follows Miche using ODM. "Alright! Then we'll go with you!"

"Hange, I don't mind you coming, but don't let that cadet die."

"Of course not! I'll be responsible and offer my utmost support!" She turns to me, winking. "Not that you'll need much." I smile and follow the section commanders along with the rest of the ranks. We arrive at our destination quickly, seeing a group of Titans harasses a few Scouts by an abandoned fort...including Captain Levi. Hange spots him, waving to the captain as she brings the cavalry. "Levi! We're here to help!"

"Four eyes… What are you doing here?"

Hange lands right beside Levi, pointing to the sky. "Ah, you know making sure my investment is totally worth it. Have a look." What they see is me, dodging a swipe from one of the two large-class Titans, then use the length of the arm as footing as I run towards the nape. I slice the nap as I run across the shoulders and the back of the neck. I hop off, descending on the back of a medium-class Titan like a hawk, removing a chunk of its neck before rising back in the air, making contact with the second large Titan, the final one attacking Levi's group. I land by Hange and Levi, taking good notes of my work.

Levi, his face stuck in that blank form as always, looks to Hange. "You're supposed to keep him out of dangerous situations."

"He _just_ got you out of your situation, didn't he?"

"...That takes care of that. Now to retreat."

"Wait." I spot Miche smelling the air for some odd reason. I make a sniff too, smelling nothing but plain atmospheric air. Miche, alarmed, turns to the other section commander and the captain. "Another Titan is coming!"

Everyone except me takes this to heart. I look to Hange, stupefied by the Scouts' reactions. She laughs at me. "Oh, Miche has a very sensitive nose. He can smell a Titan across great distances."

Now I've been up and close with my fair share of Titans, but the idea they have a detectable smell is...horrifying. "What...do they smell like?"

"Bacon. Freshly sizzled bacon," Miche says, though by his intense face I cannot tell if he's serious or not. I hope he isn't. I happen to like bacon very much. My eyes on the approaching Titans, I see that they're of the Hyper variety. I sigh, then prepare myself for a long battle.

* * *

Once we were done and back at the Wall, I spot Eren among the masses. Intrigued by his presence, I walk over to him. "Hey, Eren."

"Joshua! I heard you went out with the Scouts! How was it?"

I shrug. "Well, we made it through."

"Awesome." Eren turns his head to the nearby Petra and Oruo, praising them as well. "You veteran fighters are amazing. Not just Lieutenant Levi, but all of you."

Oruo nods in an 'I'm so full of myself' manner. "So you're impressed huh? Yeah, I am pretty impressive." He turns to me. "But you've got a long way to go before you get to my level. Wait 'til you've run another hundred missions, huh?"

I shrug again. "I think I'll set myself a different target."

Petra smiles approvingly. "Good idea. You don't wanna end up thinking you're God's gift and biting your own tongue all the time."

"Petra," Oruo replies coldly, "you haven't got a clue, have you? You have no idea what I'm capable of-OW!"

"Attention!" I hold back my chuckle of Oruo clenching his tongue as Commander Erwin comes over. We line up and stand tall as he addresses us. "Okay troops, good job. We've done our duty here in Trost now. Now that the Wall here is secure again, we're moving on to an extra-Wall survey mission, leaving from the Calaneth District. Eren, you'll be joining the Special Operations Squad for this one."

"The Special Operations Squad, sir?"

"Everyone just calls it the Levi Squad," Hange says. "It's his hand-picked team of elite soldiers."

"From now one," Levi adds, "you'll be under my command, in my squad. You'll be joining Petra Ral, Oruo Bozad, Eld Gin, and Ginther Schultz. That way, if you start acting up in your Titan form, we'll have the manpower on hand to take you out."

Bluntly put, Captain Levi.

"Don't worry Eren," Hange comforts with a pat on my friend's back, "you just have to keep control of yourself, and everything will be fine. And I'll be doing everything I can to help in that respect." Hange starts to giggle in anticipation of 'helping' Eren, which is a similar look to Sasha when she's around meat. Hungry. Desiring. Scary. Almost embarrassing to call her my squad leader.

* * *

Later that day, I was told by Hange that the commander wanted to meet with me. On my way to his office, I run into Mikasa, Conny, and Jean. Interested as to why Mikasa isn't within a meter of Eren, I stroll on closer.

"Everyone back in the village said a runt like me would never become a soldier, but I showed them! I'm a genius when it comes to ODM gear, right?"

Jean scoffs. "A _genius_? And modest, too. Okay you're good with ODM gear, but you're not so hot in class, are you?"

"And you make the wrong call sometimes when it comes to strategy, Conny. Mistakes like that are dangerous."

"Gimme a break," Conny says, taking immense defense to the words of the others. "I'll ace those things too before long!"

Jean sighs, turning to me. "Tell him, would you? We don't want Conny getting too big for his boots."

I pat Conny on the shoulder. "Jean, Mikasa, Conny is a genius."

"Ha ha! So you can see it too, huh, Joshua? Yeah, I am a genius!"

"Yeah, a genius at getting me to save your ass." Jean and I share a laugh as I walk off, Conny's jaw being heavily pulled by gravity.

"Hey! I'll prove it to all of you that I am a genius! Just you wait!"


	9. Joining the Scouts: Sawney and Beane

**Another weekend, another chapter. Welcome back to Vengeance Of A Human. **

**I see you guys are enjoying the story, which is great. I have written the next three weeks worth of chapters and will continue to write until I at least finish Season 1 material since I will start summer work soon, so you will have consistent updates throughout June and early July.**

**With that said, I know some of you asked about me changing some story elements (beyond what the game does to include the player character). I do not plan on changing who dies because I think that's integral to the story, both in canon and in this AU. But other minor elements, yes, if I feel like changing it (and it is not included in the game or conflicts with the anime), I will do so. For example, I made Thomas and Mina's deaths more significant than it really is, because I am sure not many (including me) were affected by them dying as say...Marco's death.**

**But if there are any changes that you would like to see and think it might work, don't hesitate to leave a comment or PM. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

"Whew! That was a tough session today. One slip of concentration and we really could have died out there!"

Armin is possibly exaggerating (or speaking for himself) but he isn't lying. The training the four of us just went through was grueling indeed, especially for Armin. I made him work hard since we both agreed to me helping him out. However, training for two tired me out more than yesterday's mission with the Scouts.

"Yeah, it was a dangerous drill alright," Eren says. He looks are my kneeling form, my body aching for a bed to rest in. "you get through it okay, Joshua?"

I stand up, defying my body putting on a smile. "Yeah, it was nothing!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit. We're finally a step closer to our goal. This is no time to be losing heart, is it? I dare say we're gonna have to complete more and more dangerous training exercises. But I say, bring them on! The sooner I'm a full-fledged soldier, the better!"

"Easy, Eren," Mikasa cautions. "It's great to have a positive attitude to your training. But you need to know your limits, and call on your friends when necessary."

Eren frowns angrily. "Give it up, Mikasa! I'm not a kid anymore. Stop treating me like one!"

Mikasa sighs. "Sorry, Eren. But the fact is, when you get worked up, you can't see the bigger picture. You've always been that way. It...makes me worry."

"Like I said, I'm not a kid, okay! I'm not some little brother you've got to protect."

Armin steps between them. "Okay, you guys, settle down! Hey Mikasa, let's go back to the dorm together, yeah?"

As they walk off, I chuckle to myself besides a simmering Eren. Though I kinda know how Mikasa feels about Eren (it is obvious, let's be honest) I decide not to cue Eren in. "You, Mikasa, you two are great friends."

"Huh? Well, we have known each other for a long time, I guess. But how did you get 'great friends' from that exchange?" Tired, Eren sighs, wiping his forehead. "Anyway, never mind. I guess we should be getting back too, right? We've got an early start tomorrow, Joshua."

I nod. "Yeah. You're leaving with the Lieutenant tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yeah. I...wonder what he has in store for me."

"Heh. Better than being with Section Commander Hange, I'll tell you. I hear we're doing something in a few days, something crazy. She won't tell me, though."

"What could be crazy?"

"Hmm… Yesterday, she mentioned wanting to capture Titans, but she's just messing around."

* * *

_A few days later…_

"Hehe… Between you and me, I've actually got a plan up my sleeve. And not just any plan either-something amazing!"

I am blinded by my superior's eyeglasses flashing bright in my face. That means she's up to no good and I am powerless to avoid my inclusion in it. "What is it, SC?" I started calling Hange "SC" out of respect for her position but saying "Section Commander" all the time is a mouthful. I know she has no problem with me calling her by her name, but I'll wait a while (or when it is needed) before I let it become everyday vocabulary.

"I'm actually on my way to speak to Erwin about it just now. If you're interested, you're more than welcome to tag along."

I have a choice? Not like I never had a choice before, but...Hange is the reason I'm the first Scout out of my class. I owe this to her, after all. Her eccentrics are exciting, I will admit, yet as Moblit (Hange's right-hand man) tells me, she might get me killed one day. Or close to it. "Sure, I'd love to."

She pats my shoulder. "I knew I could count on you! In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

* * *

"_I THOUGHT SHE WAS JUST JOKING?!"_

"So you see, I think we could really use Eren's powers to help this Titan-capturing mission succeed."

"No," Erwin states. "He hasn't got complete control of his titan shifting abilities yet."

"Yes, I know, but it's vitally important that we capture some of these creatures. Let's not forget that the Scout Regiment's primary purpose is to understand the nature of the Titans."

"Shut up, Four-Eyes. The commander makes the final call when it comes to how Eren gets used." I'm surprised Lieutenant Levi is here. He left here days ago with Eren for the old Scout Regiment's headquarters, where, to my knowledge, Eren and Levi's squad will be for the rest of the month.

Hange starts to pout. "But what's the problem with it? I feel sorry for Eren, being denied the chance to take part in this."

Moblit shakes his head. "I don't think the kid actually said he wants to, has he?"

"Maybe not, but the point is, there aren't many suitable candidates for the mission." As she finishes that sentence, her glasses flash again, this time in my direction. Oh no. "Ah, here's an idea. How about I take Joshua here? Would you object to that?"

Commander Erwin repeats what he said in my last mission, that he won't force me to undertake a mission. "I understand," I reply, "but I did come here with the intentions of joining Section Commander Zoe."

Moblit turns to me. "Let me explain what you're signing up for. Titan-capturing missions are tough. They haven't got a good track record. If you want to pull out, now's your chance. Well?"

I nod. "If I'm honest, I don't care much to study Titans. I rather see them dead...but as I said, for Hange, I'll do it." _Though I know I'm going to regret it later._

Hange cheers at my declaration. "You're a good kid! I wish some of the others in the regiment were as obedient."

"Who are you referring to, huh?" I think Moblit took some offense to it. I have a choice, but as I learned, he _really _doesn't if it means keeping Hange safe.

"Well, if the kid's willing, I'm not going to make a fuss. I'll allow it. Just stay back from the front line, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

Hange jumps and twirls as her mission is officially given a green light. "Okay, let's start making the necessary preparations! We've got a lot to do! Wahoo!" Hange departs, Moblit worryingly follows after her. I'm left with Erwin and Levi.

"Being around that woman is going to send you to an early grave."

"Levi, you take the other four apart from Eren and act as backup." _Wait, the rest of Levi Squad is here, besides Eren? He must be back at the headquarters alone. Hange might be right, he is missing out. _"You don't want our new troop to meet a sticky end, do you?"

"Hmph, no...sir."

* * *

"The goal of this mission is capture! First, we need to make sure no Titans can get inside the area to distract us!"

"Yes, sir!" We ride our horses to the fields outside Trost, just a little deeper into Titan territory but not too far from the city. The Scouts begin to divide and exit formation, but as I prepare to make the same motion, Moblit gestures for me to stay put.

"Come with us, Joshua! You'll be in danger if we get separated."

"Alright. What are we to do first?"

"We'll create a perimeter of bases. Creating a base in the right location will make it easier to spot Titans when they're getting close. Now let's capture a nice Titan!" We ride to the south, where I believe Hange plans for one of her capturing bases to located. We spot some Titans nearby, which, thanks to my liking, Hange orders us to eliminate. Happily, I take one of them down with ease while Moblit and other Scouts take care of the others. With the Titans defeated, the Scouts made preparations for the base.

As that proceeds, Hange waves me over to her and Moblit. "Joshua, since I know you're dying to action, go with Moblit and see to it the other bases are taken care off. I wouldn't want you to sit here in boredom."

I smile. "Thanks, SC!" I ride off, slow enough for Moblit to hop on his horse and catch up.

"There are three more sites. Let's get to them."

* * *

Once we were done with that, we met up with Hange again, this time with Levi Squad alongside us. "Section Commander, we've completed construction of all bases!"

"We'll join forces with you from here on… Since you can't do much on your own."

Moblit nods to the Lieutenant. "Lieutenant Levi, thank you so much!"

"The stage has been set," Hange announces. "It's time at last for my plan to capture a Titan to be put into action! With me!" We rode towards the north, spotting a group of Titans nearby the base placed there. Since I am riding by Hange, she turns to me, holding me a cannon-like weapon. "This is a restraining gun, used to capture Titans. Now the small fry, they're easy, just shoot the gun and you're done. For the bigger guys, you need to dismember their legs, their arms to just to be safe. Don't worry about the regeneration time, they'll be well captured before those limbs return. But whatever you do, do try to capture some Titans for me."

"Okay."

She points to the group of Titans we're approaching, specifically a small Titan. "That looks like an Abnormal. Moblit, Levi, leave the capturing to me and the recruit. Joshua, distract the Abnormal. I think we could capture that one, wouldn't you say? Be extremely careful, of course!"

"Alright!" While Moblit and the others fend off the Titans, I do my best to gain the attention of the Small Abnormal. That eventually leads me to cut its arm off, succeeding in gaining its attention. I hurry back to my horse, galloping at full speed as the Abnormal chases after me. Seconds later, I hear the booming sound of a cannon, then the rumbling of a large object colliding with the earth. I turn around, seeing Hange celebrate the first capture of the day around Moblit and Levi.

"We did it! A four-meter Titan is ours!"

"Congratulations, Section Commander! Our mission was successful!"

"Let's hurry up and get out of here."

"Yes… We can really do this! Next, I want one that's seven meters tall!"

Levi looks like he's about to burst a vein. "'Next'? Dammit, Four-Eyes!" We rode to the east, picking up the sight of a medium Abnormal and a few buddies. As before, the others took care of the Titans to be exterminated while I incapacitate Hange's target.

"The legs, the arms if necessary." I hop off my horse and burst towards the Abnormal. Now that it is relatively alone, I have more room to operate. It spots me as I approach, my hooks implanted on its thigh as I head between the knees. "Hiiiyah!" I swing my blades at once, taking out both legs in one move. I keep myself attached as the Titan falls, using the body to swing back around to my horse and Hange. She loads the restraining gun again and fires, making our capture count two.

"Yes! A seven meter Titan is ours! Woohoo!" I join Hange, though I do not partake in the celebration. I look at the seven meter Titan, somewhat praying this is the last one, somewhat dreading Hange wants a bigger prize.

"We did it, Section Commander."

"...I'm through with this."

* * *

Our mission complete after a round of fighting more Titans, I watch with Hange as the Scouts load up the two Titans we captured. It is...quite unusual for me to feel some sort of accomplishment from capturing the enemy, yet it is another victory in my book. "I can't believe we actually made live catches."

"Now I'll be able to carry out all the experiments I've been planning. I'll have to put a detailed plan together straight away. I wonder where I should start… Any ideas, Joshua?"

_The only one that matters. _"Identifying where they feel pain."

I'm sure Hange missed my dark tone in her excitement in her response. "Yes. We need to see if they have other weak spots apart from the nape of the neck."

_"Back of the head to the nape of the neck! Worst comes to worst, you can always just shove one up their ass."_

_"That's the other weak spot? Are you serious?"_

_I sigh at Conny's ignorance but decide to play along, sarcastically saying, "That's news to me! Did I miss a day of training or something?"_

_"Come on. Knock it off, Reiner. You want your final words to be an ass joke?"_

I chuckle to myself as I recall another conversation about Titans having multiple weak spots. It would be interesting if the ass was a weak spot...Actually no. That...is not an entertaining thought.

"First of all, though, we need to gain some kind of mutual understanding," Hange continues uninterrupted."

"Understanding of what? As far as we're all led to believe, Titans are driven only by their desire to eat humans."  
"Perhaps, but there are certain examples from history that suggest something more. We have a notebook left behind by a soldier called Ilse Langnar, for example. She wrote that she encountered a talking Titan! I'd like to ask these two about that. It's the perfect opportunity." She looks up to the sky, a small, seemingly sane smirk on her face. "If there's one thing Langnar's notes tell us for sure, it's that we're still very ignorant about the Titans. We have to keep trying to understand them more. Even if we don't learn much, anything's better than nothing. I believe that one day, research like this is what will allow humanity to turn the tables."

I look to Hange, admiring her dedication. I don't know how, but she convinced me. I never thought that learning more about Titans could indeed help us in the future. It seems logical, now that I think about it. Earlier, I was doing this just for Hange, but now...I guess there's more to the Scouts than just killing Titans and taking back our land. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I will do whatever I can to help you. I'm not totally with this research thing you have...but if turning the tide means more capturing than killing, then bring it on!"

"Section Commander!" We face the approaching Moblit. He looks hurried. "It's too dangerous to engage in a long debate here outside the Walls. We have to load the captured Titans onto a transport asap."

"OH! I haven't given them names yet! I totally forgot!"

"With all due respect, I don't think that's important right now." Hange ignores Moblit, running towards the loading Titans. I chuckle as I see sweat drop from Moblit's head. He turns to me. "You're holding up well with her."

"Maybe one day I'll replace you."

"To be honest, that's a relief, yet I fear there is only one 'me' in this world."

* * *

_As the days passed, I found myself assisting Hange with her experiments. At first, there was the attempt to communicate with the trapped Titans, stuck in place by nails and ropes._

"Hello," Hange says to the sitting four meter Titan. It only groans and pants in response as it tries to get to Hange. This doesn't dissuade her. "How are you feeling?" _I'm sure it is feeling well with nails all around its body and a human it cannot reach and eat. _"What's your name? Are you in pain?" The Titan, reacting to Hange's increasing closeness, tries more to reach her with its mouth. The other Scouts start to tense as well, enough for Moblit to warn Hange.

"Section Commander! You're too close."

"Hmm, maybe you don't feel like talking right now. Okay!" She steps away, much to everyone's relief, then heads over to the seven meter Titan, held down on its belly. Much like the other, it reacts to Hange's close approach.

"Hello! Nice weather, isn't it? Are you hungry?" Apparently, it is, as it lunges towards Hange. The restraints hold it back, but that doesn't stop the heart-pumping reaction we all have. Hange, however, gets a thrill out of it. "Woah! That was close!"

Moblit, however, is such the stick in the mud. "Section Commander! That's too dangerous!" Hange might have ignored him, given that she took three steps closer to the Titan before it snaps its teeth at her again.

_We gave up trying communicating with the Titans, but Hange still had plans for them. First is naming them._

"Once upon a time, there existed a clan that ate humans. And I don't mean you, Titans. I'm talking about a clan of people. They would hide in caves on the mountainsides and attack any travelers who passed by. They would steal their valuables, kill them, and eat their flesh."

Standing beside Moblit, I look at him in confusion. "What is she doing now?"

The man sighs. "This is her naming ceremony. They're going to be named."

"Oh."

"Ultimately, they kept this up for twenty-five years, during which time they supposedly preyed upon over 500 people. Probably more humans than you've eaten, in fact. They also tried eating them in all sorts of steaks out of rump meat, dicing up leg meat and adding it to a stew, grinding tough meat into patties and frying them, making sausages from blood clots and innards… Indeed, they initiated the concept of 'cooking!' That's where they differ from you."

I feel my stomach reject the meal I had hours ago for lunch and the meal I'll have later tonight when I meet the gang for dinner. My thoughts turn to the foodie of the group, Sasha. If I recite this to her, what would she say?

"However, this clan of cannibals was caught and executed after making one single mistake. That's where you're just like them. You guys made the mistake of attacking humankind and wound up caught. So I'm going to name you two after the man who was the leader of this clan. "You," she points to the small Titan first, "Sawney, and you're Beane. But don't worry. I'm not going to execute you. Nice to meet you, Sawney. And you too, Beane. Let's all be friends!"

_Next, she tested blocking Sawney and Beane from sunlight to watch their activity. We knew that they use sunlight as a source of energy, almost like a plant uses it for photosynthesis, but we learned something still. Apparently size matters in terms of activity in the day._

Hange holds up the lantern to Swaney's face. "How much time has passed?"

I look at the clock. "One hour."

"Seems Swaney is tiring out. Mm. You did great, Sawney. Good night. I'll see you tomorrow." We exit the tent, then head over to Beane's. We were there for quite some time, almost enough for me to fall asleep myself. I think I did because I felt Hange shaking me back into consciousness.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"How much time has passed?"

She checks the time. "Two hours. You sure love to stay up late, don't you, Beane? That's OK. I'll hang out with you as long as you'd like." She turns to me, gesturing to the opening of the tent. I walk out, thanking Hanage for letting me go to sleep.

_Apparently, Beane lasted around three hours. Hange wanted to see how'll they'd fare under prolonged removal from sunlight, but fears they might die. The next set of experiments were my favorite. She called it physical contact. I call it torture. Bastards deserve it._

I frown as I listen to Hange and Beane cry out. Beane is in pain, yes, but...I don't understand why Hange is crying. Moblit doesn't either. "Section Commander! There's no need for you to scream!

"I can't do this and not scream! Beane is in so much pain!" She removes the spear in Beane's right eye and aims for his left. "Beane! Hang in there! Stay strong!"

After she was done gouging Beane's eyes, she went to Swaney and stabbed his heart. "Hey… I've stabbed you in the heart. Does it not hurt? How does it feel?" Swaney, unlike Beane, just sits there like an idiot, breathing loudly.

I sigh to myself. "Maybe we should try sticking it up their asses."

Moblit turns to me, his eyes darkening. "Don't give her any ideas." We watch as Swaney moves a bit and begins to make noise, which excites Hange.

"Hmm? What? What is it?" I watch in horror as Swaney nearly bites Hange's head off.

"Section Commander! Please step back!" This time, I agree with Moblit. That was too close for comfort. However, our dear Section Commander started to have a laughing fit.

"Almost got me there, Swaney!"

"You're seriously gonna die!"

* * *

I returned to our gathering headquarters from a mission alongside Section Commander Miche's squad, the man himself, a woman named Nanaba and a man name Gelgar. However, as we came into camp, we notice something is wrong.

"What's going on," Nanaba says. "Everyone's acting weird."

"Yeah, what's all the commotion about?"

"Josh!" I turn to whoever called my name, seeing Moblit run up to the group. He stops beside me, but at seeing Miche, he salutes. "Section Commander Zacharius!"

"What happened?"

"The test subjects... The two Titans that were captured… They've both been killed."

Miche, Gelgar, and Nanaba look unaffected, but I am shocked. How? "Who did it?"

"We don't know yet. By the time the guards noticed anything, the culprit was long gone. Using ODM gear."

Miche nods. "So it was a soldier? Hm… How's Hange taking it?"

Moblit sighs. "It'll take her a while to get over it, I think."

"Yeah."

* * *

I rush over with Moblit to the Titan Research Center, just as Hange walks into the area. A crowd surrounds us, but what draws all of our attention is the sizzling sound of decaying Titan bones. Once Hange gets a good look at it, she goes hysterical. "Noooo! Sawney! Beane! No… Tell me this isn't happening!"

I stand with Moblit beside her, tightening my fists in anger. Who could have done this? Who would do this? There's a traitor in our midst, someone who wouldn't want Hange to learn more about Titans. But who?

I sense footsteps approaching from behind. I turn to face Commander Erwin, who looks at the scene with dark, questioning eyes. "What do you think? Who's the enemy here?"

"I don't know, sir."

"No…" Erwin looks away, taking a moment to think on my answer, I believe. He sighs afterward, taking a step forward towards Hange. "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that."

I watch him leave, my confusion further boggling my mind. _Commander, what exactly do you mean?_

* * *

**Commander Erwin is the GOAT, that's all I'll say.**


	10. Joining the Scouts: The Choice We Make

The killer of Sawney and Beane wasn't found by the end of the investigation. All the cadets, save for me and Eren, were suspected for some reason. I got off due to the fact that I was with Section Commander Miche on duty. However, the lack of a suspect frustrates me. Someone did it, but everyone knew where the Titans were being held. Is there a reason only the cadets were inspected?

Whatever the case, I had a job to do, and that is to somehow make Section Commander Zoe better. I find her all alone in the soldiers' office, which would be weird because she and Moblit are a package deal, yet he's the one who sent me here. She sits at a table, her body hunched over, her head in her hands. She's silent, so I'm not sure if she's crying or not. I step over to the table, taking my seat opposite of her. "Section Commander Hange, are you...okay?"

"All the trouble we went through bringing them here... I'd barely scratched the surface of my experiments."

"I'm sorry for your lost."

"Damn it. DAMN IT!" Hange slams her fists on the table, nearly scaring my soul out my body with her screams. "All the experiment preparations I made, ruined."

"Hey, we'll capture more Titans and experiment on those." That's when an unfriendly, devious, hilarious, quite entertaining thought sparks in my mind. I've been around Hange too long now if that idea is in my head. I smile like an evil mastermind as I lower her hands. "Well, we do _have _a Titan for you to experiment on if you catch my drift."

"Wait...experiment?" It takes Hange a moment, but once I see her glasses light up, I know she catches on. "That reminds me! I have Eren's transformation experiment to be tending to!" In her renewed excitement, Hange locks my arms to the table with her surprisingly strong grip. "No use standing around sulking, I've got scientific models to be prepping! You want to help me out too, right, Hardin? Come on now, don't be shy."

_Well….it was my idea...and this should be fun. _I nod eagerly, because what's better than experimenting with your friends? "Sure!"

"It's settled, you're coming with me! Quick as you can! There are arrangements to be made!"

* * *

Days later, Hange is back to her old, mad scientist self. Today is a special day, after all.

"Haha! Hahaha! The day is finally here! We're finally going to get to try out Eren's Titan transformation!"

"Um, Section Commander… You might want to contain your excitement a little." Ah, Moblit, back to being the voice of reason. Everything is good.

"Haha! But the next expedition beyond the Walls isn't far off now. We have to put Eren through his paces properly!"

"Is this business or pleasure to you?" Lieutenant Levi stands nearby, far away from Hange's bubbliness as audibly possible. I can tell he doesn't approve of such measures, but the commander authorized this long ago. Besides, we need to understand what Eren can do.

However, for me and Hange, this is leaning towards pleasure. "Don't get me wrong, I know this is an important mission for the Scouts. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't find this fun! It doesn't change the fact that this experiment could be pivotal in the survival of the human race, though. So...don't let us down, Eren."

I stand by Eren, chuckling to myself. I pat him on the shoulder, trying my best not to release my rising humor. "_Good luck_, Eren. We'll be right behind you!"

"Yeah… If I lose it out there and start… Never mind. I'll make it work, don't worry."

"Oh, you losing control is not what I'm worried about. But if you do, I'll pull you out, after I get some enjoyment. This will be fun."

Hange faces both of us. "That's the spirit! Okay everyone, into positions! Let's get this experiment started!"

* * *

Unfortunately, Eren was unable to transform. Maybe Levi Squad is comforted by this (maybe Moblit is most of all) but I am quite disappointed. "Sorry I didn't manage to transform."

"Don't be," Hange says. "I could see you were really trying. There must be some reason why it didn't happen. In the battle to retake Trost, you transformed three times. First when you were inside the other Titan's stomach, then when you were targeted by the Garrison's cannons…"

"And then… Yes, you're right. I transformed a third time to move that giant boulder in front of the hole in the Wall."

Hange places a finger underneath her chin. "There must be some common thread through all three of those instances. Any ideas, Joshua?"

The answer developed as the conversation proceeded. "Each instance, Eren's life-and others, if you recall the Garrison firing on us-they were all life-threatening situations."

"That's exactly what I was about to postulate. It could be that Eren can only activate his ability when there's some crisis or threat to life at hand. But that's just a hypothesis. It needs testing. So next time, we'll do the experiment outside the Walls."

"What!" Levi looks dangerously at Hange. If looks could kill, anything Mikasa has done will only be a minor bruise. "Are you serious, Hange?"

"I know it's risky, deliberately attracting other Titans to provoke Eren's transformation, but it is the fastest way to get results."

"Do you think Commander Erwin will agree to it," Moblit inquires.

"The Commander said that he'd prove Eren's usefulness. Through the success of an expedition beyond the Walls. So if we venture out there and Eren can't turn into his Titan form, we'll have lost all ways round. This experiment HAS to happen. I'm sure he'll agree to it. So prepare yourself for what's coming, Eren. And you too, Joshua."

I nod. "Understood."

"Understood," Eren says. "I won't let you down next time!"

* * *

Commander Eren did not wait one moment. Though it would be before the expedition, we got clearance to take Eren outside the Walls. We did such a thing immediately, gathering Titans to provoke the transformation, but as before, Eren couldn't transform. What was once fun is now worrying.

"Come on, Four-Eyes, that's enough, isn't it? We've taken care of all the Titans in this area now. It's over!"

"What? No! Eren still hasn't transformed yet!"

Levi scoffs as he faces Eren. "What's happening, Eren? That bite you made on your arm isn't even healing up."

Eren bows his head in shame. "Sorry, I… Dammit, why isn't this working?"

Hange sighs. "It doesn't make sense… It was the perfect setting for him to experience life-threatening danger…"

"I think," I say, "that it isn't the danger. Now that I think about it, I had another idea. In each those instances, Eren was in danger, but he also had a reason. Inside the Titan's stomach, he still wanted to fight them. Under the Garrison's cannons, he wanted to protect Mikasa, Armin, and I. The boulder, he wanted to beat the enemy. I don't think Eren isn't transforming because he can't. He has to have a reason to. A resolve. We can't force that on him, can we?"

Hange shakes her head. "No, we can't. It is a good theory… We'll need to rethink all of this."

"But," Moblit starts, "if we can't get Eren's ability to work outside the Walls… We'll be right back where we started, won't we?"

"Hmm. Well, let's call it a day for now and fall back. Moblit and I will write all this up and catch you later. Have a rest, Eren. You see to his wounds and look after him, okay, Joshua?"

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

I return outside, seeing Eren holding his arm in pain. "Hey, here." He turns as I hand him a roll of bandages.

"Oh...sorry." Instantly, he grips his arm in pain, dropping the roll on the ground.

"Let me help you."

"No, I got it." He steps over and reaches down. That's when I hear a sharp crack, then next time I know I'm on my back, lightning darting from heaven to earth. Lightning...oh shit. I scramble to my feet, seeing Eren squatting on top of a huge, muscular arm. Great, _now_ he triggers the transformation.

"Eren!" I use my ODM to get up to him. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know," He says as he struggles to pull his arm out...his other arm. "Why..? Why now?!"

"Calm down." We hear Captain Levi's voice behind us. Turning, we catch the sight of Levi standing before us, standing in guard against his subordinates. Sensing the danger and the need to protect my friend, I draw out my blades as Gunther, Eld, Petra, and Oruo have done. "I said to calm down, all of you."

"Eren," Eld says, "why did you do that without permission?!"

"Answer me, Eren! What were you trying to do?!"

"No, that can wait! Prove you're not our enemy, humanity's enemy! Prove it! Now! That's your responsibility!"

I narrow my eyes at Gunther, possibly mimicking Mikasa now. "How do you expect him to do that while you idiots surround him as if he's the enemy?"

"I dare you to make a single move with that arm! I'll cut off your head!" I dare Oruo to make a move. I'll remove that muscle he calls a tongue out his mouth.

"Try your best, asshole."

"I can do it, I'm serious! Want to try me?"

"Oruo, I said to calm down."

"Captain, get away from Eren! You're too close." Damn, I would hate to hurt Petra. Such a pretty woman… but if she makes a move, I will not hesitate.

Levi, however, stands firm. "No, you're the ones who should get back. Get back."

"Why?"

"My intuition."

"What's wrong, Eren? Say something!"

"Like I said..."

"No sudden movements!"

"Prove it to me, Eren!"

"Any of you come close, I will kill you."

"...I said I don't understand..."

"Answer us! Do you think we can't kill you? I'm serious."

"I'm serious!"

"Do it now!"

"I'll skewer you all!"

"Are you even listening?"

"Okay, let's do this!"

"Don't you dare."

"Are you humanity's-"

"Please shut up for a second!"

With Eren's great shout, silence ensues, but the situation is still tense. I still hold my blades out, glaring at anyone who dares make a move. Let it be Oruo. Please, let the pig head come. I look down to Levi, hoping he'll call them off. Eren is confused, why can't they see that. He's scared, yet on a whim, they jump at him as if he is the enemy. How dare they!

"Eren!" That voice is unmistakably the voice of my superior officer. I turn to look upon an excited Hange, running towards us and pushing the soldiers. "Can I touch that arm?! It's okay, right? Right? Just let me touch it!"

We look at each other. I shrug. "You should let her do it."

"Hange… Wait a second."

Hange forgoes permission and touches Eren's Titan arm. It's only for a few seconds but as her hand certainly burns from touching the muscle, the scientist burns with passion. "It's...hot! Without the skin, it's really damned hot! Unbelievably hot!"

"Section Commander! You're too reckless!"

I sigh as I sheath my blades. "Well, you have made her happy."

"Yeah…"

She gets up. "Hey, don't you feel it's hot, Eren? How does it feel where the right hand connects? I really want to see!" Before she gets an answer, Eren tries to remove his right hand again.

"Hey, Eren!" Oruo is back on his bullshit, I see. "Don't do anything rash!"

"Shut up. I leap off just before Eren frees himself, falling on the ground in front of the lieutenant. Hange, however, begins to freak out as the arm begins to decay.

"Wait, Eren… That was too fast! I still wanted to investigate some things. Oh?" As I walk over to Hange, she stares at the Titans hands. There, we see that Eren indeed picked up the bandages. "What made this happen. Josh, you were here when the transformation occurred."

"Yes. Eren dropped the bandages and was picking them up when… Hange, I think I'm right."

"I think you are too," she says in a more serious tone. "Though picking up the bandage is not as purposeful as, say, protecting your friends or picking up a boulder, it is a purpose nonetheless. If Eren has an clear aim in mind, that is the true trigger of his transformation."

* * *

The enrollment ceremony came by quickly. The night the cadets finally choose which regiment they'll join is now upon us. While my choice is quite clear and I have conducted missions with the Scouts, I am unofficially a member. So, for me, this is just a formality. For the others, a choice to be made.

As I put my cadet jacket on, I hear knocking. Since all of the boys are gone, it must be a girl. Mikasa is with Armin, most likely. I don't hear Ymir's scolding, so either Christa got away or that isn't her. Annie is...Annie, so that only leaves one suspect. I look back, indeed seeing my favorite redhead. "Hey."

"Hey. You ready?"

"Yeah. I thought you'll be with the others."

Sasha shrugs. "Yeah, but… I need your help. Walk with me?" Seeing no reason to say no, I walk Sasha out the barracks to the cool nighttime air. We're silent for a few steps, probably because she's apprehensive about asking me the obvious question.

"It is your choice, you know."

She sighs. "I know, but...Jean, Armin, Mikasa, Eren, you… You guys are going to the Scouts."

"Jean is going to the Scouts?" I guess my pep talk to him worked.

"Yes. Claims he's not like Eren though, calling him a 'suicidal maniac.' Naturally, as I am of the top ten of our class, I can choose whatever regiment I want. But… How do I choose? I am too afraid to be with the Scouts."

I nod. "Then you have the 'secure' life of the Interior Police or the not as lavish life of the Garrison."

"Yes, but… I don't want to be a coward, however, Eren would put it."

"I understand."

"Then tell me, Joshua, what should I do?"

I stop as Sasha stands close in front of me. She's afraid, she's alone, she's searching. I remember this look on a ten-year-old boy five years when his whole world was crushed under a boulder. I remember this boy who thought the end was near, but nearby he heard another say he will get revenge. That boy, who was once me, is now Sasha. She cries now as she leans into me, though I stumble from the initial contact before I hug her, doing all I can to comfort her.

"Sasha." I push her gently off me, though I keep my arms around her waist, hers around my neck. If anyone looked at us now, they will get a seriously wrong idea. "I cannot choose for you. But I will say this: You know how the Titans eat people. What will you do with that piece of information?"

She says nothing, so I let her go so we won't be late for the ceremony. We find ourselves there near Jean and Conny in the crowd, though I can see Mikasa and Armin up ahead in the front, Christa and Ymir a row behind them, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie close to Jean. Eren isn't present, of course, for he is officially a Scout...don't see why I didn't get the same honors.

Commander Erwin steps up on stage, the man preparing to persuade the cadets to join his regiment. However, I guess he isn't looking for many recruits. It is the Scouts, after all.

"I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Scout Regiment. To be frank, I'm here today to invite you to join the Scout Regiment. You all know the fear of facing the Titans, as well as your own limitations. But humanity has made a step towards victory like never before. I'm referring to Eren Jaeger. Our goal with his help is to recover Wall Maria. New recruits will join a mission outside the Walls in one month. There's a 30% chance that you will die at that time, and within four years, most of you will likely be dead. So, anyone still wanting to put their life on the line despite the risks, stick around. That's all. Those of you wanting to join other regiments, you're dismissed."

_Good attempt at persuasion, Commander. _The other cadets begin to leave, though I keep my gaze forward. I already made my choice. However, my peripheral vision does watch who stays and who goes.

Armin and Mikasa stay, and as they look back, I nod to them. Of course, we're together for our various reasons, one of them is to retake our home. Jean, so far, hasn't moved, and as he looks back, I catch his eyes. I see that his body wants to depart, but once our eyes connect, a silent message broadcasts between us.

_What would Marco want you to do now, Jean?_

He turns around, screaming to the heavens. His choice is made, he will stay.

I look to Christa, who hasn't moved a muscle, and to Ymir, who looks at the blonde. Wherever Christa goes, Ymir follows...and Christa isn't going anywhere.

I look to Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie. The boys, both who desired to be of the Military Police, stay put, but Annie turns around and heads out as expected. A loss, sure, but I don't care much for Annie anyway after...I got unfairly beaten.

A hand slips in right, squeezing it tightly as if they're holding for dear life. I apply the same pressure, telling them that I got them. That I got her. I face the person, seeing that she is staying as well, along with the "best soldier in the corps." I smile to Sasha and Conny, personally pleased with their choice.

In total, only a fifth of our class remain. The commander nods in acceptance, though I can see he has one final test. "Okay then! So, if I say 'die', you're ready to die, right, soldier?"

"I don't want to die, sir!" I don't know who says that, but whoever did, they're right. I don't want to die...but if I must…

"Hmmm… Well, you all look the part. Okay then! You people here will form the new Scout Regiment! Now salute! And do it like you really mean it!" My fist hits my chest maybe a little too hard, but I mean it. So does everyone else. We are the new Scout Regiment and we will do it proudly.

As we're dismissed, Reiner walks up to me. "I see you're going to be joining the Scout Regiment too, Joshua. I'm looking forward to working with you." Reiner outstretches his hand, which is weird because we've known each other for years now, but nevertheless I take it.

"Anything happens, I've got your back, Reiner."

He drops my hand, chuckling. "Well, that sure is nice to know. Bertholdt could learn a thing or two from you. Let's just make sure we don't die out there, how does that sound?"

I nod. "Like a great idea."

* * *

Back at the old Scout headquarters, I find Eren cleaning by the stables. "Well, well, well, the weapon that'll turn the tide against the Titans is out here performing duties like a maid. Now, this cannot suffice."

Eren sighs as he pauses to look at me in annoyance. "Shut up. Why you here?"

"Aren't you happy to see me? I'm officially a Scout now. Graduation finally happened."

"Oh really. All the regiment assignments should have been decided already, right? I wonder how many people we'll have joining the Scouts."

"Well, more than you'd think. Not as many as one would hope, given what we went through. Mostly everyone, though."

Eren looks at me confused. "What do you mean?"

"Eren!" We turn around to see Armin and Mikasa running up to us. Eren looks back excitedly to see our friends who he hadn't seen since he was assigned to Levi.

"Mikasa! Armin!"

"Eren! Have they mistreated you at all? Joshua always said you were fine, but I knew he wasn't telling everything." Ah, Mikasa, not skipping a beat to worrying about Eren and blaming me for everything.

Eren chuckles, as he turns to me. "No. No, nothing like that...right?"

I shrug. "Well, Levi did have you clean the entire residence. Squeaky clean, I may add."

Mikasa's face darkens. "That pipsqueak's too big for his boots. I'll make him pay for it someday."

I smile. "I'll love to see that."

Eren groans. "Joshua, Mikasa, take it easy, okay?... Hm?"

"Hey, Eren." The rest of our friends who've joined the Scouts, except Jean, show up, much to his surprise. "What are you guys doing here? Does this mean you've joined the Scouts? That only leaves Jean, Annie, and Marco in the Military Police then, I guess."

"No, only Annie," Jean says as he walks up. "Marco...is dead."

"Jean! You joined too? I don't… Wait, what did you say? Marco's dead?"

"Looks like he didn't go down in a blaze of glory, either. No one knows how he died. There was no one there to see it happen. Anyway, they tell me you tried to take out Mikasa when you were in Titan form. Josh says you accidentally transformed when applying bandages to your body. So you haven't got complete control of your powers, is that it? We're gonna need some kind of guarantee from you, Eren. We need to know you're a cause worth dying for." Jean steps up to Eren, grabbing the shorter boy's jacket. "So you better step up, Eren! Got that?"

"Okay. Yes, I got it." Jean releases Eren and steps away.

"Hey, don't take it so hard, Eren," Reiner says. "We're with you."

"Yeah," Bertholdt cosigns, "we can help."

"Tsk, you're going to scare Christa with that look on your face!" Eren says nothing, but his face says enough. Only I understand truly what it means.

"Hey, Eren."

"Hm?"

"Remember, as long as you have a clear aim, you'll be fine. Now you just to prove to the others that you're worth it."

* * *

_One month later_

"We begin at last." I turn to Armin, nodding. It's been a long month since Trost, but here we are in the Calaneth District, ready to embark on the foretold expedition.

"Yes. Finally." I look to the others, Jean, Sasha, Mikasa, Christa, and Ymir. I smile to the latter, winking at her. "You know, Ymir, you looking ravishing in the green."

The young woman chuckles. "Oh, do I now?"

"Yes. Words cannot comprehend it."

"Well, stay alive, maybe you can explain it to me better. Just not in front of Christa."

"I will do my best." Smirking deviously, I turn around, catching a glare from Mikasa. "What?"

"...Nothing."

"Say it."

"...You could do better than Ymir."

"Oh, say anything else, I might think you care about my wellbeing."

She rolls her eyes, sighing. "Please. I could care less about your wellbeing. It's...not like I don't care, but…" She looks at me, hoping I'll catch her message. "You know."

I hold her shoulder. "I know. Don't worry, Mikasa. We'll be alright. Besides," I lean closer to her, to tell her something that'll shake her soul, "I think Ymir into girls as well, maybe more so than guys, so you might have a better chance with her than me."

"Shut up." I chuckle as Mikasa punches my arm, though not as hard as she could. I look back at her again, seeing a very minute smile on her face. Ah, I broke the ice queen. She notices me looking, so she turns away, but the damage is done.

"Josh, you shouldn't mess with Mikasa like that." I look to Armin to retort, but his words betray his face. I shake my head, then my eyes lay on Sasha.

"You good, Potato Girl?"

"Yes, I think."

I nod. "Good. We're counting on you, all of you. We got this far in our training, let's make something of it. We beat those bastards once and survived. We can do it again, together."

"The time has come!" We face forward as a Scout in front of us barks words to us cadets. "Humanity will finally take another step forward! Show us what you've trained for!"

The gates begin to open, and the mission begins. "Forward! Now commencing the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission! Move out!"

We ride. Finally, the moment begins, one that will lead us back one day to Wall Maria. That is what we were all thinking at least, and in one case, that is true. However, it is what we didn't know about this expedition that truly sets us on our path.

Trost was just the beginning.


	11. Female Titan: The New Titan

**Can't believe we're just on chapter 11, surely thought we were further ahead by two. Guess because I forgot to update last week. Sorry about that. I'll do a double upload this weekend.**

**I'm uploading early because I'm bored and about to write some of Chapter 15, which seems so far away. Season 2's chapters are going to be directly from the game's version of events, just like Trost was for the first half. So it'll be interesting. **

**But back to where we're getting in Chapter 11 through 13, we start out from the mission in the game where you cover the advance team's exit from Calaneth, which the anime covers in 10 seconds and so will I. The game never explicit states where in the long-range scouting formation you are located, but because the right side is attacked and you do encounter Titans, I placed Josh near the front lines.**

**In the first half or so of Chapter 12, I follow the anime instead of the game, so the mission to get news to Levi Squad with Christa doesn't happen. But the rest of the missions in the forests, to some degree, do occur.**

**I'm also going to look for a MC/Annie moment from the game that I can use before she crystallizes herself out the story while I'm writing, but for now, enjoy Chapter 11 and Chapter 12!**

* * *

"HA!" The nape of the Hyper Titan is cleanly by my blades. As it falls defeated, I maneuver over to my squad leader, Section Commander Miche. "Anymore?"

He sniffs the air again. "No, but we're not to wait and see either. Great job back there. Time to join the main force on the plains." My mission with Miche Squad is simple. As the vanguard, we are to protect the squadrons coming through the old city outside Calaneth which is ridden with Titans. I help see the other squadrons, some containing my friends, through the old town and out to the plains. Now that got everyone through and rid of all the Titans, we can head on out.

Once we're safe, I find myself with Levi Squad, minus the team leader and its new recruit.

"The surrounding Titans have been eliminated," Gunther states. "We should be able to advance without obstruction."

Eld nods. "Let's get everyone ready here before we join up with the rest of the regiment. We should have enough time before they're in formation."

Gunther turns to me. "You know what, you've been doing a really good job so far."

"Yeah," Petra agrees, you've come such a long way this last month. You'll get through this expedition no trouble."

As expected, the tongue-biting asshole speaks. "Yeah, compared to our first mission, this is-"

Eld chuckles. "Oh, you really want to discuss your first mission, huh, Oruo?"

Interested, I turn to Oruo. Maybe he'll have something enlightening to say for once. "What happened on your first mission?"

Petra waves her hands and raises her voice as if it is something to not be spoken of. "Argh! Nothing! Nothing at all! Just forget it! No need to say more, Eld!"

"Let's just say that everyone has a first time. And compared to these guys, you seem pretty used to real-world combat."

I scratch my head, enjoying the compliments but trying not to be prideful. "Well...I guess when your first mission is a surprise Titan attack, you do get use to things."  
"What are you guys blabbering about again? Get moving!" We turn to see Levi and Eren finally arrived.

Petra, still flustered, speaks. "Lieutenant! Yes, sir! At once, sir!" As Levi's soldiers move away, it leaves me with him and Eren.

He turns to me now. "We go our separate ways now. Get back to your position before we're all in formation. You got guts, I won't deny that. Just make sure they don't get you killed."

"Yes, sir."

Levi steps, to which I face Eren. He sighs, probably nervous for the expedition. "So… A mission outside the Walls…"

I grab Eren's elbow. "Don't leave this world again, Eren. I can only handle so much sad Mikasa and Armin before I get sad myself."

Eren nods, grabbing my elbow. "Don't worry, I'll come back alive! You better too!"

"Aye."

* * *

"Our first expedition…"

I turn to Christa, the blonde girl's face more solemn than usual. "Hey, Christa, you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm more nervous than I thought I'd be. I just hope everyone manages to come back in one piece."

"They will," I say confidently, though we both know it isn't true. I wonder if she means everyone in the Scouts or all our friends because the latter could be more possible. Whatever she truly means, I continue to comfort the girl. "Don't you worry. Though, we could leave Ymir, right?"

Christa, though she tries not to, smiles. "Don't joke about that, you know you like her more than you suggest."

"Yeah, I guess. I would miss that piece of ass-stounding work of art that is Ymir." I look to Christa, who either caught what I said and ignores it or didn't at all.

"Anyway, you're right. We've been training for this day for ages. I don't know what came over me. I refuse to become a liability to anyone! I can take care of myself!"

I nod. "I'll hold you to it, but don't worry. We got your back...but seriously consider leaving Ymir here." We chuckle as we continue in our positions before the formation break. As we continue riding, I catch a glance of Mikasa behind me looking down as well. I slow down from Christa's side a bit, back to see what's up. "Mikasa, you look down."

"I can't help but worry about Eren when he's not here… Do you think he's safe?"

I sigh. "Yes, he's fine, last I saw him. You worry too much."

"But if anything were to happen to him, I… It's almost time to get into formation, huh. Promise me you'll take care of yourself out there?"

I nod. "You do too, Mikasa." I ride back up to Christa, waiting for the signal to get in formation. As I do, I grab my necklace. _Mina, Thomas, watch over. Tell whoever is up there to bring my friends back safe and sound, okay? _Eventually, the signal was given. The scouts began to spread out in the long-range scouting formation. We all began to split one after the other until it was me, Armin, Reiner, and Jean left.

Reiner waves to Armin who is in the lead. "See you, Armin!"

Jean looks to me. "Don't chicken out if you see a Titan!"

"You don't chicken out, Jean, or I swear I'll kick your corpse's ass!"

"Yeah," Armin says, "that goes for everyone."

* * *

"Advance towards our goal while keeping formation! We don't know where the Titans are, so be careful!"

One of the squad members turns to me. "Cadet! Hang in there! Don't get scared and start hesitating!"

I nod, though the advice is useless to me. "Yes, sir." We ride out of the small village we grouped in and out to the open fields. As part of the upper right side of the signaling group, we're to signal if we see the red signal of a spotter group that saw a Titan. If they miss it, we will initiate the signal, but if necessary, we'll take the Titan out.

It seems we're forced to do the latter option of removing the Titans by force. We do encounter a few Titans along the road we follow, all of them missed by the spotter group ahead of us. I don't know what's going on, but as I hear my squadron leader state, there shouldn't be this many encounters with Titans. Maybe we got an unlucky spot.

Once we reach our destination and eliminate the Titans there, our squad leader is sweating bullets. "There are so many Titans. Something must be going on."

"What do you think it is?"

"I think something's wrong with our enemy scouting capabilities… Look, a smoke signal! Shit, the formation's already been broken… Cadet, can you go inform the other squads?"

I nod. "Got it!"

"Join up with any other squad you can find! And whatever you do, don't die!" I split from my squadron, riding as fast as I can towards the smoke signal. It comes from the mid-right end of the formation, still in the signaling group...so it could be anyone I know. Armin? Reiner? Jean? As I get closer, I catch sight of the latter two. Reiner and Jean are already engaging Titans. Indeed, the formation is broken.

"Wait right here, horse." I leap off my horse and attach my hooks to the Titan closest to Reiner, zipping forward like a bolt of lightning as I eliminate the Titan. "Hey guys," I say as I bounce off the Titan's back.

"Joshua? What are you doing here? Whatever, just lend us a hand!"

_Thought you'll never ask._ I flip in the air, aiming for some elderly looking Titan. As I head towards him, I leap on to his very muscular partner, cutting him down before he catches up to Jean. I leap off him, then slam-dunk my blade horizontally across the last Titan's neck. With them down, my friends are safe.

"Good work, Joshua."

I nod as I saddle on my horse again. "Thanks, Reiner. Any idea of what's going on? We noticed a formation break back with my squad."

Jean shakes his head. "It's not normal for things to be like this in formation. I wish we had a better idea what's going on here."

"Look, a smoke signal!" Reiner points to where the upper right side of the formation should be. That's Armin's location. I frown.

"That's Armin. We must get to him as fast as we can! C'mon!"

* * *

"Armin!" I spot my friend sitting on the dirt road, looking in the forward direction. He looks too shocked to see us.

Reiner gets to him first, having caught Armin's horse. "Hey! Can you stand? Get on your horse, man!" Armin quickly jumps on his horse and we ride off again, chasing after a near skinless Titan with short blonde hair. By the definition, it seems to be an Abnormal. "I saw the Abnormal smoke signal. Is it that one with the nice ass?"

_I knew Reiner had some affinity with asses, but to complement a Titan's? Well...I guess I agree._

Armin shakes his head. "It's not an Abnormal! It's a person clad in a Titan's body!"

"What?"

I sigh. "Great. Just like Eren, the Armored, and the Colossal."

"Hold on," Armin says as he reaches for the pouches around his horse's neck."We need to fire a smoke signal first." He fumbles with the gun and pellet in his nervousness. "H-Hurry. We need to let them know there's an emergency." We hear the sound of a gun firing. Seems Jean knew what to do.

"Alright," I say, "Jean got it." However, it wasn't the only one. More golden streaks fly across the sky to our right. This is not good, not at all.

"From the right wing? They've suffered too severe of an attack to continue the operation?!"

"Apparently part of the right wing has been wiped out. A horde of Titans showed up. I dunno how it happened, though. A bunch of them are fast, too. We're holding them off for now. But no one's on spotting duty now. This is a serious setback."

"Hmm. This explains why my squad encountered so many Titans before I can to you Jean and Reiner."

"If we're not careful, we could all get wiped out."

"That's the direction she came from." Wait, _she? _We're chasing a female Titan? Holy shit, I owe Commander Pyxis a report. "Could it be… Did she lead the Titans here?"

"She?' Jean finally looks forward, seeing the said "she" we're pursuing. "What's a Titan doing here? Is it an Abnormal?"

I shrug. "Only thing abnormal about it is the figure. Titans are masculine in physique, though some faces are definitely feminine. That, Jean, is female head to toe."

"No," states Armin, "it's a human clad in a Titan body. A human who can do the same thing as Eren."

"What?"

"What makes you think that, Armin?"

"'Eating' is all Titans do. This results in death, of course, but 'killing' isn't their actual goal. But as soon as more experienced soldiers went for her vital spot, she crushed and swatted them down. And she didn't do it to eat them, she did it to kill them. She's unlike any other Titan in that regard. She must've been the one who brought the hordes of Titans when the Colossal and Armored Titans destroyed the walls. Meaning she consistently had the goal of attacking humankind… Or, actually, I think she might be searching for someone. If so, who?"

"Damn." I look to Armin. "You think Eren is the target?"

"Eren? Eren's with the Levi Squad. They're in charge of the right wing."

We all look at Reiner, confused. "There's no way he's there. I was told they're in the middle left."

"Right wing?" Jean frowns. "My copy of the plan had them in the rear of the left wing."

"My copy placed them at the front of the right wing. Wait, there's no way they'd be put on the front lines like that."

"Then where are they?"

"The safest place in this formation, I'd assume. Which would be the rear of the center rank."

I nod. "Makes sense. It is the only place I would keep my valuable weapon."

"Hey! This is no time to get lost in thought! Smoke signals aren't enough to explain how much of a threat she poses! At this rate, she'll take out the command squad too. And if that happens, the formation falls apart and we all die!"

"What are you suggesting, Jean?"

"I'm suggesting that from this distance we might still be able to distract her. We can buy some time for everyone to retreat. Maybe, anyway."

I nod. "It could work."

"She really does have intelligence," Armin reminds us. "From her point of view, we're literally just like insects. All it takes is one swipe to kill us."

"You don't say," Jean says with some dread and humor mixed together. "That's some scary stuff."

Reiner raises an eyebrow. "Are you really Jean? The Jean I know only ever cares about himself."

"That's rude. I just don't want to meet a disappointing end as a bunch of burnt bones that you can't even tell are mine. I… I know what needs to be done now! Plus, we chose to take this job! Help me!"

I smile. "You are a work of art, Jean."

Armin covers his face with his hood. "Put your hoods on. All the way, so she can't see your face! Because she can't risk killing us if she can't tell who we are!"

"I get it. She can't risk killing anyone who might be Eren. Now that's a relief to know. Here's hoping she's got bad eyesight too!"

"If she doesn't, I'll give it to her." I smile at the upcoming challenge.

"Armin, Josh…" We turn to Jean, who looks at us with...something like respect? "The way you two always clung so close to Eren used to creep me out, but I always knew I could count on you."

"Huh? Oh, thanks. But that's mean, thinking I'm creepy..."

I turn to Armin, frowning. "When have I ever 'clung so close' to Eren?"

Jean corrects himself. "Yeah, you had all the girls wrapped around your finger. Maybe you will get Ymir to put out. Maybe Christa will join too. Or is it Sasha? Can't tell these days with you."

"Well Jean, if it is a girl you want, you can have this Titan. Though I believe you're too small where it counts."

* * *

As we got close, Armin signals us to space out. Jean and Reiner will flank her sides while Armin and I stay behind. However, as I look at my favorite brainiac, I can tell he senses something about our prey. Whatever he senses, he doesn't call the plan off. That's enough for me.

I look at her. We won't try to kill her, there's no point in fighting an intelligent Titan unprepared. But in the meantime, we might be able to surprise her. I have no doubts she knows we're giving chase or that we know she'll protect her nape, but there are other ways to hurt her. We just need to slow her down, the quickest way is by cutting her legs.

"Joshua."

"Yes, Armin?"

"Your skills are on par with Mikasa's despite your placement in cadet rank. Do you think you could kill her?"

I shake my head. "No. Something tells me that she'll protect herself before she protects the Titan's body. The Colossal Titan has steam, the Armored Titan has armor, she's more like Eren. Killing her without restraining her movements to protect her nape is impossible. But if anyone could, I wager Levi could." I look back at the Titan, yet unless my eyes deceive me, she's looking back at Armin. Oh shit.

Jean tries to engage the Titan by attaching his hooks, but they bounce out what seems to be some hardened exoskeleton. The lady turns, swinging her arm first at Jean, using the wind to knock off his hood. I attempt next, flying up towards the nape, but the Titan swats me like a fly. She then steps forward, swatting the ground by Armin. No, it looks like she actually hit Armin's horse. The Titan looks at my fallen figure first, now that my face is exposed. She looks away from me after a momentary staredown between us before leaving. If what Armin believes is true, she let me live due to my inability (or will) to attack her, and she ignores me afterward due to the fact that I share little of Eren's characteristics.

Those eyes though...I might be crazy, but do I sense recognition? No way...yet...That shade of blue...they're so familiar.

Next, she steps over to Armin, but as she checks him out, Jean begins to counterattack. This time, he attaches, but as he gets close, the Female Titan tries to attack him. He manages to get to her backside, but as I expected, she protects the nape with her left hand. Jean is trapped, and the Titan begins her final strike, possibly by grabbing his wire.

"Jean! Avenge that suicidal maniac!" The Titan strangely pauses mid-attack. Armin, his head cracked open, manages to get on his knees as he looks up to Jean. "It was her! She killed him! The maniac finally got himself killed, as part of the right wing! She killed him!" Whatever Armin is saying, it worked. Jean managed to get back to the ground alive. However, why did Armin direct his words to Jean? Who is this "suicidal maniac?"

_"I know, but...Jean, Armin, Mikasa, Eren, you… You guys are going to the Scouts."_

_"Jean is going to the Scouts?"_

_"Yes. Claims he's not like Eren though, calling him a 'suicidal maniac...'"_

Sasha said that Jean called Eren a "suicidal maniac" back before we chose our regiment. Armin must have heard it. But why would the Titan cease its attack? Something...Armin found out. He continues talking as Reiner engages the female, his hook going straight to her shoulder. _Reiner is going for the nape! Idiot!_ Could he do it while Armin distracts her? Maybe he can...no. At the last second, she spots Reiner flying by her face. And just as quickly, Reiner is grabbed. "Reiner!" He's not completely crushed, but clearly, he's struggling. That's when she places her thumb over his head...then there is blood everywhere.

For the first time since I was a kid, for the first time as a soldier, I am unmoved. I am shaken. I...am afraid. Not for my life, no. But...this horror...the chill that runs down your spine, that freezes your nerves...is that fear? Is that what everyone felt back at Trost while I courageously fought back, never understanding why they stayed still in fear? Yes, this is it. Eren fell to it. Armin fell to it. Mikasa fell to it. Everyone has...so why shouldn't I?

But before my body is completely frozen, Reiner returns, bursting out the Titan's like an angry butterfly leaving its cocoon. I gasp in relief as he goes to Armin and picks him up, then I look to the Titan. It looks at its smoldering hand before lowering it, possibly wondering how Reiner escaped. No matter, I get to Jean and start our retreat with Reiner. "I'd say we bought enough time! Now let's get away from her, quick! She doesn't eat people! I don't think she'll follow us!" We run and watch as the Titan stands up, then begins to run in the opposite direction as us. "Look! The giant wench is running home with her tail between her legs!"

Something tells me Reiner is wrong. I may have lost my sense of direction due to the fight, but… I fear she's not retreating, but advancing...to Eren.

* * *

With only one horse between the four of us, we deemed it too dangerous to leave a pair behind. In the meantime, Reiner bandages Armin's head, Jean tries to get his horse to come to us, and I...sit by a tree alone. We're down to two situations. One, we wait for Jean's horse to return like Reiner's, or two...two people must be left behind. I told Christa that everyone (in our friend group) is coming home, but even if I didn't, I have no plans of leaving anyone alone.

"Armin. Hey, Armin!" Reiner snaps Armin out of whatever trance he's in. "I take it you're still a bit mixed-up?"

"Yeah. I'm still a little dazed."

"I see. Still, we need to decide now. It's a difficult choice, but it looks like two of us has to stay behind." Jean turns to Reiner, I look up as well. He can't be serious.

"Wait. Let's fire a smoke signal first. If the formation kept moving forward, Row 4, Squad 3 should be nearby now."

Jean sighs, pulling out his signal gun and firing a purple flare. "That was an emergency smoke signal. I doubt it's enough to get our point across, though."

"Armin," Reiner calls sternly, "we'll only wait three minutes. By then, we need to choose who stays."

"I'll stay," Armin replies immediately. "But in exchange, I need you to report something. Only to Commander Erwin, if possible."

"No wait, Armin. You can report it yourself. Someone's coming. And they've brought two horses."

I stand up and walk to Jean. I look at our approaching savior, then give a small laugh. "Out of all people… It's Christa!"

"Guys! Are you okay?" She gets to us, releasing one of the horses to Jean, the other Armin takes.

"Huh? Hey, that's my horse! Whoa, there. Calm down, Buchwald."

"He came raging by. Something must've really spooked him. Oh, Joshua, you don't have a horse."

"Yeah?"

She looks away for a moment, her face burning with tints of pink. "You...can ride with me then...if you want."

I want to argue that I have no problem riding with Armin, but...I see Jean's face and I can't help myself. "Sure." I hear Jean mumble something about "if I didn't have my horse I would be riding with her" which tickles me as I walk to her. "Thanks. Guess I became your liability today."

She smiles, then turns to the others. "Did you guys fight a Titan?"

"Understatement of the moment."

"Armin! You're hurt! Are you all right?"

He nods. "Yes, more or less."

Reiner turns to her, prepared to leave. "I'm impressed you came here willingly after seeing that smoke signal."

"I happened to be nearby, plus I'd found Jean's horse."

"I'd say you have a way with horses, not to mention a remarkable sense of virtue. We owe you one."

Christa smiles before dropping her head before tears form in her eyes. "I'm just glad, so very glad that the worst didn't happen to you guys." She wipes her eyes and smiles.

I don't know what the other guys are looking like they saw a goddess for, but I don't appreciate them looking at Christa like she's a wife to be had. "Hey," I say as I join Christa up on her horse. She scoots back since I'm of a larger frame, it will be more comfortable I sit where the horse can bear more weight. Now proudly on this beautiful steed, I hand Christa the reins of my horse. We're not leaving that soldier behind. "We gotta go."

Trance broken, the other guys pick themselves and hope aboard their horses. Christa holds on to me as I turn ours around. "Well, we'd better hurry back to formation."

"Oh, yeah! There should be orders to retreat soon!"

I turn to Jean. "You think he'll call for it?"

He shrugs. "Still, turning back, not even an hour after leaving the wall. Things look way grimmer than I thought. Plus, she's headed away from the lead command squad for some reason."

Christa perks up at that. "She?"

Before I can answer, green smoke signals tower the treeline. "Wait a moment!"

"Green smoke signals?"

"It sounds like the plan is to change course but otherwise continue the operation."

"Oh no, they're not ordering us to retreat?"

"What the hell is Commander Erwin thinking?"

"All soldiers have the authority to decide if the operation can't continue. Have the signals not reached the command squadron?"

"Maybe… Maybe they have. If the commander knows of the Female Titan, he would want to capture her, right?"

"Whether or not they know, we only have one option in this situation. Defer to their judgment."

I agree with Armin. Since I am the lead rider, I temporarily assume the leadership role. "Armin, fire the flare. We shall see what happens now. Best case scenario, our lady friend hasn't reached Eren." Armin raises his gun and fires the green flare.

Black flares are fired to the distant back, possibly somewhere between us and where Eren's squad is. No one else knows about what that Titan is capable of...and when they find out… It'll be too late. Whatever Commander Erwin is doing, I hope he knows what he is sacrificing.


	12. Female Titan: Forest of Revelations

"Great, a forest." It has been about fifteen minutes since Christa rescued Reiner, Jean, Armin, and I. Now we ride adjacent to a large forest, apparently in the path of the formation. No orders have been given to enter the forest, so we decided to ride on the border. Along the way, we picked up two other rookies, though I cared not for their names.

"Hey now, what are we doing at this sightseeing spot? Now we're really straying from our original destination and our return point."

"I don't know. I don't know, but this is what Commander Erwin decided. He seems to have some plan in mind, but…"

Jean scoffs. "Plan? Are you kidding me? What, is he gonna throw a welcome party for us at this tourist spot?"

Armin shakes his head. "No, I don't think so."

"It was a joke. Either way, we got that giant female after us. Regardless of what plan he has, we can't afford to stop here. My guess is we're passing through here on our way to somewhere else." Something tells me Jean is wrong, that there is a plan for these forests. I just wish I knew what the Commander is thinking.

A Scout rides up ahead of us, signaling us to stop. "All soldiers, halt!" We stop in front of him as he begins to point to the forest. All right, listen up, rookies! We're going to take up intercept positions! Unsheathe and wait in the trees. If any Titans try to enter the forest, stop them with full force!"

By this time, we had tied our horses to the trees and assembled in front of the Scout. However, I'm sure we all thought our orders were strange. Jean is just brave enough to voice it. "Huh? Umm, sir? Why would we need to-"

"Shut up and follow orders!" The Scout turns and rises in the air to a large branch.

"You've gotta be kidding me. What the hell's happening?"

I sigh. "Well, whatever. Let's just get to the trees, see what happens."

* * *

"This is insane. First, we abandon our original plan of establishing a logistics base. Then, instead of running home with our tails between our legs like we should, we go on a daring sightseeing tour. And if that wasn't enough, now we're supposed to stand here and keep Titans out of the forest?"

I sit on a branch close to Christa's position on our tree, between her and the pair of Armin and Jean on the adjacent large plant. Jean looks out to the fields, either talking to Armin to out loud to himself. I must agree with him, however. Sitting here, waiting for the Titans, it doesn't sit well with me even though I might understand the Commander's plan.

With the trees, we can use ODM, with the height, we can be safely out of reach of the largest of normal-type Titans. Assuming the Female Titan has caught up to us, she will go after Eren, now that I assume he's in the center ranks. Remove the annoyances that are the Titans, lead the Female to Eren...then kill her using the advantage of the environment and ODM.

I just hate being bait again. I adjust my cloak and turn to Christa. "Just like in Trost, huh? We're baiting Titans while the real target enacts their plan."

Christa smiles. "I recall you were unhappy to not be with the elites."

"That how I am feeling right now." I look down to the forest floor many meters below. Imagine if I fell right now and didn't use my ODM. One long drop, one big splatter. I shake my head, I'm really thinking about dying right now? I laugh, almost deserving of a trip to the mental asylum. I turn to Christa, who looks at me with concern.

"You okay?"

"I thought about falling off. What do you think?"

"Jean spoke of killing the officer. You decide who is crazier."

I stand, looking away from the blonde beauty. I put my hands in my pockets, leaning against the trunk of the tree. "Jean is, of course. You think I'm nuts?"

"Sometimes, yeah." I look back at Christa, raising my eyebrow to silently ask what does she mean. She just smiles back. "I mean, you are a pretty cool guy, but you lack the calmness of Reiner, the drive of Eren, and the true leadership of Jean. I'll say you're just the male Mikasa with better social skills."

I scowl. "I thought you would praise me since we're friends and all."

Christa points at me accusingly. "Too sarcastic as well. No wonder you and Ymir don't get along...except for earlier today." She grows timid after bringing that up, to which I sigh and turn to the field. The officer calls out a 5 meter Titan prancing fabulously in its approach to us. Part of me desires to go ahead and kill it, yet as time passes and more Titans assemble, it becomes quite clear we don't need to fight them. My hunch is on the money, we're just drawing the Titans away from the center ranks. I bet my other hunch is to, that Commander Erwin is aware of the Female Titan and plans to kill it.

"Bored yet?" Christa looks down at the assembled Titans below us, trying their best to reach up.

"Yep. Something about standing still is unfavorable to me."

"How about falling now?"

"The forest floor and a Titan's mouth are two very different surfaces. I much rather be up here with you guys, as annoying as it is." I sit back against the tree again, watching the tallest Titan closest to me try to reach up. I look to Christa, her eyes still on the Titans below. She's nervous, which is usual for her, but she manages to hold it in better. I remember when I first met Christa Lenz, a shy, helpless girl whose only friend (if you could call it that then and now) was the overprotective Ymir Fritz. Over time, she impressed me, especially when she was ranked #10 in our class, the spot right above me and when we were squadmates at Trost. Now I owe her my life. "You know, I didn't mean what I said earlier about wanting Ymir dead. I don't like her a lot, but she's cool. But I don't like how she dotes over you. I thought Mikasa was bad with Eren until I met her. It is weird."

"It can be overbearing at times, I will admit." Christa sits, holding her legs to her chest. "She treats me like I'm royalty or something. A part of me is glad we were in separate places in the formation."

I chuckle. "Princess Christa...heh. Has a nice ring to it."

"Don't start." Despite the sharp tone, Christa smiles as she looks to me. "No need to give her ideas."

I nod. "Whatever you say, Your-" A thundering beat of drums echoes from deeper in the forest. Some of us turn our heads, wondering what those explosive noises. After a few seconds, the sounds cease, only to pick up again a minute later. I look to Christa. "What do you think is happening?"

"The Female Titan, most likely."

"I don't remember us carrying artillery, but that is definitely some sort of heavy firepower… All that for the Female Titan, they're not trying to kill her. That must be some sort of capturing device if my experience with heavy ordinance is to be accounted for.".

"I think you're right." Christa frowns, alarmed by something other than our conversation. She looks to our left, my eyes follow. The Titans around all of us, determined to feast, having begun climbing the trees. To be honest, I didn't see this coming. "Umm, the Titans are starting to climb the trees."

"Indeed," an older-looking female Scout nearby us replies. "If they make it up this far, perhaps I'll step out of the way. Although… I suspect we'll soon be given orders to withdraw anyway."

"Does it have anything to do with those explosions inside the forest?"

"I don't know." While the ladies conversate, I watch as the Titan gets uncomfortably close to our position. I turn to Armin and Jean, the pair of them moving away from the Titan who successfully made the climb. I look to Christa, nodding our agreement to move to another tree in the woods. However, this time I separate from her, heading to the guys to see what they're talking about.

"Armin. They seem to be up to something inside the forest, and I think I've figured out what it is. They lured that Female Titan here to capture here. Or, more precisely, to capture the human inside. That was Commander Erwin's goal from the very start."

"The Titans that broke through the Walls are probably humans just like Eren, with the ability to transform. So the first priority has to be identifying who they are. If we can capture the Female Titan, who's surely conspiring with them, we could finally learn the truth about what's going on in the world."

I zip down between the pair, nodding to Armin before speaking. "The Female Titan must have been captured."

Jean, trusting my experience with the Scouts, goes along with my hypothesis and sighs. "So I was right. The noise we heard before was the Titan getting trapped. The thing is, though, how did the Commander know that bringing Eren outside the Walls would make that thing show up?"

"When they attacked Trost," Armin reflects, "they gave up halfway through the battle. Even though their goal was to destroy the inner gate of Wall Rose. Something must have happened to stop them. Something more important than destroying the Wall."

Armin is right. If the goal was to break through Wall Rose, the Titans admittedly had ample time to do so. Yet the Armored Titan was absent from the battle. If they gave up halfway during the battle, or a better wording, a change of plans, there's only one rational causation. "You speak of Eren."

"It can only be Eren's transformation and counterattack. That's the only thing that makes sense."

Jean scoffs. "What, you think there were spies or something around? Among the people who saw when Eren transformed? Well...that would explain why only a select few were in on this operation."

"All in the center ranks too."

"But it still doesn't really make sense. Surely some more manpower would have made all the difference here." We turn to the sound of the Titan that chased Armin and Jean falling down on its ass on the ground. I let a laughing smile grow, but it is instantly whisked away by Jean. "He wasn't in the right, I'll tell you that. If we'd actually been told that a Titan had inside info, we would've handled things differently. Your own squad members, Armin, for example."

I shake my head. "Given the situation, Jean, I'll have to disagree. It is better this way."

Jean turns to me, shocked. "Huh? How can you say that? Do you know how many soldiers have needlessly died? Armin?"

"I have to agree with Joshua."

"What?"

"Jean, in hindsight, it's easy to say what should've been done. But no one can tell how things will turn out. Yet, at some point, you have to make a choice. The lives of a hundred comrades or the lives of everyone inside the Walls. The Commander chose. He chose to throw away the lives of a hundred comrades. I don't have much life experience yet, but I do know one thing. If there's anyone who can bring about change, it's someone capable of giving up what matters most. In particular, people who are capable of abandoning their humanity when forced to rise above monsters. Those who can't abandon anything can't change anything."

I nod. "Remember Trost? Commander Pyxis threw us in a suicide mission betting on Eren's transformation. Captain Ian further that when we escorted Eren to the Wall. Our entire fight against the Titans is a risk, but how we win depends on how much we are willing to roll the dice. Death is what we signed up for when joining the Scouts...it's just how long it will take before our penance is due."

"HHHHWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH! HHHHWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!"

We look to the forest interior as a large, unnatural scream echoes throughout. While Armin looks quite shaken and Jean grits his teeth, I frown while the gears in my head begin to churn. That was, without doubt, the Female Titan, but for what reason did she scream. My first thought is that she is in pain, but she never screamed during those explosions. So she must be fighting back, much like Eren's roar is his way of threatening the enemy. However, the pitch, the tone, everything about the cry itself seemed desperate, like a child calling for help.

Like the gathering of Titans underneath our feet. "What the…?! They're rushing into the forest all at once! Why are they suddenly ignoring us?"

"It doesn't matter, Jean. We got to cull their numbers now." Finally brandishing my swords, I forgo the call to arms and begin my chase against the running Titans.

* * *

_They weren't just ignoring us when they began running. Even as I cut some down, not once have they tried to defend themselves. _I continue my pursuit, easily hacking down as many Titans as I can, but the deed does nothing against the numbers. Even with someone as skilled as me, it seems the numbers are endless. However, if they are heading for the Scouts that captured the Female Titan, I must take as many down as I can.

I feel my gas tank beginning to wheeze, a sign that I've been carelessly expending gas. "Dammit!" I attach myself to one of the Titans, using it as transportation. Any minute now, we'll be wherever the horde is rushing to.

Once I arrived on the Titan I piggybacked on, I became witness to the pandemonium. Scouts were falling from the trees, eviscerating the Titan horde that congregates around a single target, Slicing the nape of my Titan, I reel myself up to a branch and watch the carnage ensuing, seeing a great surprise in the middle of it all. _The Female Titan...they're cannibalizing her. That's her move?_ Steam collects around the Titans, lowering visibility, but from my perch, I could make out one Scout in particular: Commander Erwin Smith. He looked horrified.

"All soldiers, withdraw!" What? I watch as the Scouts pull back from the Titans at Erwin's command. "Redeploy the formation! Return to Calaneth District!" That...is the retreat we've longed for, but at this moment, it feels...like an actual loss. I am not close enough to anyone to ask the question, but from the looks of things, the answer is obvious: The capture is a failure. We were outsmarted in the end.

Yet something doesn't sit right with me. For once, I channel my inner Armin for such a thing. This steam is impairing visibility, so, if the shifter wasn't totally suicidal, only the Titan form is being consumed. The human within...must have gotten away. I don't believe they would get far, though. Eren was unable to stand when he came out of his Titan, so I believe the enemy has to be nearby. No equipment, no energy, but quick enough to make a getaway. Shit…

Next thing I know, I land beside Commander Erwin and Lieutenant Levi. "Commander."

Levi faces me, sighing. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing here anyway?"

I ignore Levi for the time being. "Sir, I believe the enemy to be nearby. If anything, she's lacking the energy to keep moving. I want to find her."

"Levi, go make your preparations." Erwin looks away to the consuming Titans but gestures me to come closer. "Why is that?"

"Jean, Armin, and I who first engaged her in the fields figured she was after Eren as she ignored soldiers in the right flank unless provoked. However, some developments have lead me to believe that her identity is much more realized than we think."

"You think you know who it is?"

"Not exactly, but we've considered two things: If she knows about Eren, not saying he's our best-kept secret, she specifically knows how he looks. She investigated each of us to see if we were him. Two, most importantly, when we fought her, Armin didn't mention Eren in name, but used terms Jean would call him, specifically 'suicidal maniac.' She hesitated once she heard that." I look to the corpse, crossing my arms. "To that end, she must have known everything since Trost, including that this expedition will occur. I suspect our traitor is part of the military, either of the Garrison or the Military Police."

"Why not suspect the Scouts?"

"I thought about it, but that's when I considered the last piece of information. If a Scout were to betray us, indeed they would have attacked the side they were told Eren would be on. But the attack came from outside the right flank, not within. It would be a better tactic to sneak up on horseback before transforming, catch Levi Squad off guard, and try to capture Eren instead of what she did."

"Hmm. You have a point." The Commander turns to me, nodding his approval. "Resupply yourself and join up with Levi Squad asap. I have a different theory in mind about our enemy's whereabouts, but I do want answers. Once we return to Calaneth, we'll discuss our theories...if we don't end it here."

* * *

I joined up with Levi Squad somehow before the Lieutenant did. After explaining the Commander's orders to join them (without explaining our entire conversation), Gunther explained that they just changed course due to a smoke signal from the Lieutenant. I do recall seeing two signals before I met with Levi Squad, so I guess the second one came from them. I did leave before Levi did, so maybe he did leave a signal. But the Commander's words to me before I left haunt me as well, though I stick to my theory stubbornly.

I nod to Eren as position myself beside him. I'm happy to be with one of my best friends, and I'm sure he's feeling the same way especially after being with Levi Squad all day. "You didn't transform when you saw her?"

"No," he responds, looking to the others, "I decided to trust in everyone else."

_Of course, they talk him out of it. They believe he doesn't have total control yet. _Eren could have saved more lives had he transformed, but that's my opinion. As Armin said, "'It's easy to say what should've been done. But no one can tell how things will turn out.'"

_CLING!_

"Gah!" I hear the sounds of someone gasping in pain. To my right, a streak of green passes me, but I ignore it for the fallen Gunther. Eren lands closer by to him.

"Gunther!" He hangs upside down, bleeding like a hanging rabbit trapped by a hunter, with no signs of responding to Eren's calls. I look up, trying to seek the one who passed me. That...it can't be! Impossible...yet the reality. The enemy, who I thought would be too weak to continue the hunt, is back. She leads the squad here with the signal.

"Eren! Don't stop!" Oruo swoops down and grabs Eren, throwing him forward. I follow along, keeping myself close to Eren. "The two of you, advance!"

"Protect Eren!"

"Damn! What now? Which way dow we go, Eld?"

"There's no time to get our horses! Head for HQ at full speed!" We continue forward, though we watch our backs for the female shifter. How could I have been so naive to think she was down and out like Eren? She most likely has more experience than he does, meaning her fatigue might be nonexistent. Which means, that if she wanted to…

_CRACK!_

"I knew it! The Female Titan!"

_Fuck me. _The Titan charges towards us, faster than I've seen her run today. Apparently, that's the consensus, as the rest of Levi Squad is appalled by her speed. Gritting my teeth, I look to Eren. There's no way a human, not even as those as skilled as Levi Squad, can take the Female Titan out. "Eren!"

Eren gets my message as he turns around. "Damn… How could you? This time I will kill her myself!"

"No," Gunther orders. "The three of us will take her down. You two kids just keep heading for HQ as fast as you can!"

"I'll fight too!"

"NO! This is the best course of action! We can't risk losing your ability!"

I shake my head. "This isn't about ability! Only Eren has a chance against her!"

"What the hell, man?" I turn to Oruo, who looks quite disrespected. "Do you doubt our skills or something?"

"Is that it, Eren? Do you really have that little faith in us?" Petra looks at Eren pleadingly, which is the final nail in his reasoning's coffin. I look at him as well, hoping he won't fall victim to their words, but I can see it in his eyes. He'll trust them.

Sighing, he lowers his arm and turns around. "I have faith in our squad's victory! Good luck! Come on, Joshua!"

"...Right behind you." We dash forward as Petra, Oruo, and Eld engage the Titan. We watch in hope (Eren) and dread (me) as the trio begin their attack. Gunther pulls off an evasive maneuver that initially distracts the Titan from Petra and Oruo attaching their hooks, allowing the pair to aim for the eyes and blind the Titan. Eyesight gone, the Titan falls back against a tree, using it and her hands to protect her nape. They'll only have a minute before both eyes regenerate, so they'll have to act quickly.

My train of thought takes a dark turn as I look at the Titan's position, her arms raised behind her, her weight leaning on her left side. Minus the rude behavior she's been giving us today, Reiner does have a point. The Titan looks hot, so a small hope is that her shifter is hot too. Before we kill her, that is.

They attack the arms, or rather, severing the muscles underneath the armpit, and around the shoulders and upper arms that allow her to raise them. I look to Eren, seeing a smile on his face as he looks forward. I hate to even admit it, but it seems our advantage in the woods is paying off. Levi Squad might get the job done. However, I stick to my beliefs that Eren should transform.

Eren surprisingly gasps then turns around. Alarmed, I do so too, just in time to see Eld snatched up by the Female Titan's mouth. She also has another surprise; in the half minute its been since her eyes were cut, she focused all her power to just her right eye. Scared, Eren adjusts himself to turn back while I settle myself on a tree. "Eren! You must do it!"

I don't know if he hears me, so I continue to watch the events unfolding in front of us. Petra is first to retreat, with the Titan and Oruo following behind. With a gasp, I shudder as Petra is stomped against a tree so violently that I don't know how the plant stands. Oruo, the last of his squad, attempts to go for the still Titan's nape but fails as his blades break against the hardened nape. In his shock, he falls victim to the Titan's shocking agility as she unleashes a spin kick. His blood paints the sides of several trees.

But it is as she lands that Eren is on top of her. I sense his hesitation, but he's too far for me to speak to him. _Eren...don't worry about losing control. You have a clear goal. Transform, and beat this wench across this damn forest!_

A blast of yellow light and a vengeful roar later, I spot Eren's Titan running towards the Female Titan. Keeping my distance, I follow the fighters on ODM, not wanting to miss a moment. Eren unleashes a punch, in which the agile Female dodges and kicks Eren back. This only pisses him off, so he tries again, making the Female stumble back against a tree.

Steam erupts from her unhealed wounds sustained from Levi Squad, which explains why the Female isn't fighting back yet. Instead, she continues to dodge Eren's punches, however, this forces her to retreat to create space. Eren (and I) chases her down, punching as fast and hard as he can, she dodging until she can't anymore. Falling on her back, she's helpless as Eren straddles her.

_She took out the entire right flank, most likely my squadmates as well. She almost killed Jean, Reiner, Armin, and I. She took out more Scouts, including Levi Squad, in this forest. She knows who we are, ever since Trost. She works with the Colossal and Armored Titan, Even if she is human, she is an enemy to humanity. Her crime is unforgivable. Kill her, Eren. Kill her._

His two punches to her face missing, Eren rises up to look down upon her before roaring angrily in her face. As he rises back up, something goes wrong as Eren's Titan starts to spasm out in the face. This opening is all the Female needs as her left eye open and her arms grips Eren's, punching him off her. However, the fight is not over. Even with her arms working, Eren continues to manage to keep the Female grounded and on the defensive when she stands.

At least, until she sidesteps, hardens her hand, and uppercuts Eren. "Eren!" I start to dread, but it is misplaced as Eren uses his intact upper jaw to grind along the hardened arm and punches the Female in the gut. She lands on her ass, slumping against a tree. She barely gets on her feet and dodges Eren's knee. Eren, tired, catches his breath against the tree while the Female takes a few steps away. They turn to face each other, Eren still against the tree, but able to raise his arms up.

Then he gasps. Since my attention is mostly focused on him, I arc my head to the Female Titan as she takes a step closer to Eren. My jaw slackens, my eyes grow wide, and my legs nearly give out. _No, there's no way. That cannot be-_

The Female kicks high, slashing Eren's face in half. I watch helplessly and in shock as Eren's body collapses and the Female Titan kneels down, nearly dislocating her jaw just to rip away the flesh around Eren. He pops up, dazed. "EREN!" That voice… I turn, seeing Mikasa zip into the area, but she pauses in shock as the Female Titan gobbles Eren up alive and intact. Her mission complete, she wipes her mouth and proceeds to run off.

"W-Wait...Eren...Don't go…" I turn to a distraught Mikasa, and she spots me. I look away to the retreating Titan, my surprise scorched by my anger. How dare she…that traitorous bitch!

"Mikasa." No other words need to be said. In our different furies, we unite in our chase of the Female Titan. It didn't take for us to catch up and the Titan notices, protecting her nape with her hand. It didn't phase us. "You monster…"

"Give Eren…"

"You traitor…"

"Give Eren…"

"You will die!"

"Back!" Mikasa spins and swings for the Titan's cheeks, hoping to release Eren that way. I follow along, concentrating on the arms (albeit with much less accuracy than Levi Squad). We managed to knock her down by jointly severing her leg muscles, in which Mikasa headed for the nape afterward. It proved futile as the hardening ability on the Female's arms broke her blades. Shocked, she retreats beside me. "Why can't my blades penetrate it?"

I grit my teeth as the Titan faces us. "She can harden her muscles to protect herself. It's been quite the nuisance today."

"He is alive!" Mikasa reequips her blades, her mind set on a second attempt. "Eren...is alive. Wherever you are, I'm going to slaughter this girl, butcher her body, and get you out of that foul place."

"Get in line."

"Sorry, Eren… Just hang on a little longer."

"Move!" The Titan stands up and punches our tree, nearly getting us as well. Her leg healed, she takes off. I curse myself, letting precious time go to waste to let the Titan heal. "Get back here!"

"Wait!" Before we can begin our pursuit again, we're picked up by some mysterious force. Looking at out supposed rescuer, it turns out to be the lieutenant himself.

"Stay back for now." He releases us, and we quietly follow his direction. Levi in the lead, we continue chasing the Female Titan, though not as hurried as Mikasa and I were earlier. "Maintain this distance. She must be worn out, too. She's not so fast anymore. It looked like she bit the entire nape off. Is Eren dead?"

"He's alive." With Levi's attention on her, Mikasa further explains. "The target seems intelligent and intent on taking Eren away. It'd crush him if it wanted to kill him. Instead, it's fighting and running away with him in its mouth."

"Eating Eren could be her goal," Levi states. "If so, he's in her stomach. Which means he's probably dead."

"He's alive," I say with a drop of calmness in my venomous tone. "I've been engaged with the Titan for most of the day. Not once did she eat her targets. She has had ample opportunities too, me one of them. If she wanted him dead, she would have killed him back there. Her aim, as it has been for the last hour or so, is to capture him. He's alive."

Levi looks at me with that damn bored expression that it pisses me off indirectly. "Let's hope so."

Mikasa scoffs. "This never would have happened in the first place had you actually protected Eren!"

Levi grunts and swings directly ahead of Mikasa, getting a good look at her. "Ah. You're the one who… You're Eren's childhood friend. Just like Four-Eye's new little puppet." I snap Levi a glare, but he ignores it. "Let's narrow our goals down to one. First, forget about taking her down."

_That's_ my primary goal! Sorry Eren, but you're all right for now. "Why? If we take her down, we save Eren!"

"She's killed so many of our comrades!"

Levi sighs. "It's impossible. She has the ability to harden her skin. Do as I say. We're going to set all out hopes on Eren being alive and rescue him before she leaves the forest. I'll do the cutting. You distract her."

I look to Mikasa, relenting to Levi's plan. He's a good cutter, I know that personally. If he believes his plan will work, then despite all I have to hate the idea to not kill the Female her and now, I will follow along. "Let's go!" We push ahead, swinging around to the front of the Female. She notices us and our lack of an attack, determining that we're indeed the distraction for the real action. She turns around, punching at Levi, but humanity's strongest soldier proves his title by spinning vertically like a wheel upon the Titan's arm before leaping off and stabbing her eyes. I cannot proceed to tell what he does next as he moves so fast it like he's a particle of light. So fast Levi is that the Titan can't harden her skin, using the "back against the tree" tactic again as she did against Levi Squad.

That doesn't stop Levi.

Much like his former comrades, he manages to force the arm protecting the nape to fall. No eyes, legs, and arms impaired, me and Mikasa watch in astonishment as Levi single-handedly brings the Titan to his mercy. I have to hold myself back from taking advantage of the moment. Mikasa, however, doesn't, foolishly darting towards the nape as it hardens and the Titan raises her not so impaired left arm up. Levi manages to push Mikasa away, but his face contorts in pain as he lands on the Titan's arm. It matters not to him as he jumps medially to the Titan's face, cutting her mouth open.

I cringe at the sight of drool-covered Eren. I'm not letting this one go.

Hanging by Mikasa, we watch as Levi scoops Eren up and land on a nearby branch. "Hey! Time to go!"

"Eren…"

"How's the dumbass?"

"He seems fine. He's filthy but alive." Oh, this gotta be hell for Levi too. I forgot he's a clean freak. I let a smile stretch on my face. This is golden.

My smile drops as I turn to the Titan. "What about her?"

"Forget about her now. We need to withdraw. Don't lose sight of what this operation is about. Is wallowing in self-indulgence more important? He's a dear friend to both of you, isn't he?" Levi takes off, leaving Mikasa and me alone.

"No… I'm…"

"Mikasa." She looks up to me, my eyes set on the Titan. "I hate to admit it, but the lieutenant is correct. We must protect Eren." We set off, following Levi out of the forest, but before we get too far I turn around to our adversary. A small gasp escapes my lips because either my eyes are seeing things…

Or the Female Titan is crying.

* * *

The trip back did nothing for my mood. Two incompetent dumbasses had to try to recover their dead friend, so Mikasa and I were forced to save their asses. The one who nearly got eaten did have slob over him, so I took some humor in the situation.

An Abnormal Titan, who ignored Mikasa and me, rushed up to the carts. As quickly as I could, I rode up to cut it down before the Scouts decided to dump the bodies. Levi, who possibly ordered the dumping, looked at me with that face of his before turning away. Once we were safe, we made a stop to confirm our position and correct our course before we headed back to Calaneth.

As a kid, I watched many returns of the Scout Regiment through Shiganshina, all of them in failure. At the time, joining the military was not even on my mind, but like Eren, I thought the Scout Regiment was pretty awesome (considering the Garrison were all lazy, drunks, or both). Yet now I am on the other side of the curtain. I'm not the kid looking at the failures, I am the failure.

Kneeling in a cart with Mikasa, looking over an injured but conscious Eren, I try my hardest to not look at the civilians. Now I understand their worries, their insults. As a kid, I thought the adults to be wrong, but as a soldier, now I know just how much in the right they are to say such things. Eren, however, tries to find the strength to rise up and speak back, but I hold him back. "Eren," Mikasa says, "endure it." Eren endures his pain, however, and manages to rise to his waist. However, whatever words he is going to say is lost on him as he sees a kid smiling at us,

"So cool! The Scout Regiment is awesome! Even when they're so beat-up they keep on fighting." Eren sits down, his face mixed between pain and sorrow. I pat his shoulder, trying my best to hold my emotions. That kid...he is who I once was. A fool...but a hopeful fool.

I look up again, gasping as I see a woman with black hair split into pigtails and serene grey eyes looking at the procession. For a moment, I thought I saw her, but as I stared longer, I acknowledge that is not Mina Carolina. Most likely, it is that of her mother, as Mina was from Calaneth. I look back down, my eyes catching the carving Mina crafted me, and that's when I can't hold it back anymore. Unlike Eren, who bawls like the little bitch he is as he lays on his back, I let a tear or two...or three...or ten falls. Mikasa, the only one composed (or manages to hide her sadness under her hair) in the cart, takes Eren's hand in her left and my hand in her right.

Later, we learn that support for the Scout Regiment, due to the costs and casualties incurred by the expedition, was dealt a heavy blow. Commander Erwin and the others in charge were summoned to the capital, Mitres, within Wall Sina, and ordered to relinquish Eren. To get there, we'll have to go through Stohess, on the eastern side of the interior wall...


	13. Female Titan: Annie Leonhart

**There's so much going on through my head as I begin to upload this chapter after last week's episode that... I don't even know how to put it in words. So I'm going to put words to what I do know, and that's this story.**

**Season One is done. Season Two is in progress. Updates might be slower from next chapter onward, but they will come. **

**Originally, this was two chapters, but I figured "why not" and combined them. Considering how long Season 1 was, I say half the amount of episodes as chapters is a good ending for that content. No downtime for Josh and friends either, for we're jumping into Season Two next week! **

* * *

"Commander Erwin, I'm back with them." I step in the commander's office, followed by the three other rookies he had me gather, Jean, Mikasa, and Armin. We assemble around the commander's desk as he stands up.

"Okay, it looks like everybody's here now. Great job before, Joshua."

"Thank you, sir."

"So I'll get straight to the point. Armin, Jean, you three were first to encounter the Female Titan, per Joshua's retelling. When he spoke of your attack against her, he said that there were two things that stood out. One, the Titan knew how Eren looked like, and two, based on a few words, she was hesitant. You two agree with that information?"

"Yes," Armin says. "That's exactly what happened."

"I don't know why those words paused her attack if I'm honest," Jean states as he rubs his head. "But what Armin says, I said those words about Eren some time ago. A lot of times actually."

I take over the conversation. "Sasha told me Jean called Eren a 'suicidal maniac' before the graduation ceremony (As I say that, I can feel Mikasa, who stands beside me, darken the room with malicious intent). Armin said those exact words to Jean as he fought the Female Titan. I can say Jean has done so many times over the years. As I told you, Commander, that could have been any girl… But three more pieces of evidence came up after. One during the battle, two afterward."

Erwin, with interest, sits down. "Floor is yours."

"Actually, we have Armin to thank here." I turn to my friend, giving him a thumbs up. "After all, he figured the identity of the Female Titan first, did you now?"

Armin looks to his feet, not liking the well-deserved attention he's getting. "Well...yes, but I still had doubts.

"So did I, so I spoke to Sasha again, asking her who was around when Jean made that comment besides Armin and her. Armin and Jean can probably name the same people as well, at least who he was speaking to. That was just for reassurances, however, but it narrowed the suspects to those in the vicinity of Jean, which made them a cadet, one of us, at the time. The other piece is the ODM gear that turned out to be worn by the one who killed Sawney and Beane. Hange and I went over the report and I found an interesting detail: All of the cadet's ODMs matched their owner except for one. That one... It belongs to Marco Bodt, who died in Trost."

Jean's eyes grow wide. "Marco? His ODM was recovered?"

I nod. "Apparently so. It makes sense too, that the killer wouldn't use her ODM. However, this is Marco, a friend of ours. Not saying this is true, but I believe the killer stole Marco's ODM when he was alive, else it would be after he was regurgitated. Since I suspect the former, that means Marco must have known the girl to get close to him. That's only a few girls in our class, not all of them our friends, but still few."

"Wait." Armin looks to me, frowning. "You mean… I knew I recognized it. Marco's had all kinds of scraps and bumps, and I would help him with maintenance on it. I saw it..with her. I suspected it was her..."

Erwin nods. "You say more evidence showed up during the battle?"

I nod, then look to Mikasa. "Mikasa, remember our melee combat drills? Get in your fighting position." Mikasa shuffles her feet but doesn't raise her arms. I nod, then I get in position too. Right leg straight, left knee bent a bit, both arms raised at my eye line. Mikasa, Armin, and Jean all gasp as I hold the pose for a moment longer, a perfect mirror of the one who taught me it.

_"You're a slow learner, aren't you? Back to ask about my combat techniques again? What's the deal? It won't help you in a fight against the Titans, you do know that, right?"_

_I shrug, knowing she has a point, but after being hit with the technique, I desired to know what got my back hurting. "Of course I do. But hey, you know...maybe I could throw a small Titan."_

_For the first time ever, I hear a small laugh come from Annie. It was a quick one, but it was there. "Heh, yeah, maybe. it might work on a sub-three meter class. But don't blame me if it doesn't work."_

_"Fair point."_

_"Alright then, I'll show you the technique I used on you before. Watch and learn."_

"What…"

"No way!"

"So it is true."

"Very true. Before she defeated Eren, the Titan assumed this pose. I believe Eren recognized it too, hence why he dropped his guard despite winning the entire fight. Commander, as I told you, our traitor is not within the Scouts, but now that we know her, I know she's with the MPs."

"And who is she?"

Armin steps up. "There's still a chance we're wrong… But with all this against her… Her name is Annie. Annie Leonhart."

* * *

"Sorry I'm late."

We found Eren and Levi together in the mess hall. The lieutenant is unusually dressed out of uniform, instead wearing a black shirt. Eren looks the same, albeit in good health and spirits given the circumstances. He is the one who sees us first. "Commander! And...what are you all doing here?"

Commander Erwin steps up to Levi and Eren, the rest of us standing beside him. "We've identified the person believed to be the Female Titan. We're not going to let her get away this time."

We assemble around the table, taking our seats as Erwin unrolls a map of Stohess.

"We'll carry out the operation in Stohess District as we pass through on our way to the Imperial Capital. That's our first and only chance to get her. Once on the other side, the government will take custody of Eren and we'll have difficulty investigating those bent on destroying the Walls. Both of which will foster humankind's destruction. We'll have to bet everything on this operation. The plan is this: While passing through Stohess, we use Eren as bait. We'll lure her into an underground passageway there. Given our target's size and strength, even if she transforms, she'll be constrained and we'll take her prisoner. If she suspects something and transforms before we get there, we'll need to rely on your help, Eren."

Eren gasps but agrees to the task. "Yes, sir. Are we certain the target will actually be in Stohess, then?"

"Yes. The target is a member of the Military Police."

"The Military Police?"

"It was Armin and Joshua who identified her. We believe that she killed the two Titans we caught alive and that she might have trained with you in the 104th Cadet Corps."

"H-Hold on a minute! The 104th Cadet Corps?"

"The name of the girl we believe to be the Female Titan is Annie Leonhart."

We let the information sink into Eren for a moment. I was sure he figured it out back then, but I guess he forgot about it, all things considered. "Annie's the Female Titan? What makes… What makes you two think that, Armin and Joshua?"

Armin answers first. "The Female Titan knew what you looked like from the start. Plus, she reacted to your nickname of 'suicidal maniac,' something only our classmates would know. For me, the biggest reason is that I believe she killed the test subjects Sawney and Beane."

"How do you know that?"

I answer. "Killing them would require real skill, so she would've used the ODM gear she'd become accustomed to."

"Yeah, but they held that equipment inspection. Annie's was fine."

"Because she presented Marco's gear. That's how she avoided being caught."

Eren's voice rises, which only happens when he's trying to convince himself that we're wrong. "What are you saying? What's Marco got to do with this?"

I drop my head. "I'm not sure."

"Maybe you just saw wrong."

Armin shakes his head. "No, I definitely recognized.."

"Hey, kid." Levi interrupts, apparently done with the back and forth. "We get it. Any other evidence to share?"

"No, sir."

I bit my lips, my confidence in the evidence lower than it was when we met with the Commander. "No, I don't think so."

Mikasa turns to Levi. "Personally, I think Annie and the Female Titan look alike."

Eren stands up. "Huh? Are you crazy? What kind of evidence…"

"So, basically, we're going after her without proof."

"Without proof? You can't be serious. Why? What if it isn't Annie?"

"If it isn't Annie, then she'll be cleared of suspicion."

"I'll feel bad for causing her trouble if that happens."

"...I will resume believing my previous thoughts about Annie."

"But Eren," Armin looks up to Eren, his eyes pleading for him to believe. "If we do nothing, the government will make a sacrificial victim out of you."

Eren turns away. "You guys are crazy, distrusting Annie."

Mikasa looks to me, then to Eren. "Eren. Does this talk about Annie ring any bells?"

I wonder where Mikasa is going with this, then it hit me like a slap. _Hold on! I forgot! _"Do you remember how your fight with Annie went? You fought hand to hand with the Female Titan. Did you see her use any techniques that only Annie uses?" Eren's face hollows out as the fight replays in his head. I struck a nerve, one that will get him to believe. "You know, don't you? I believe you knew it them, hence why your guard fell. You know the Female Titan is Annie."

"...Is that all to the plan?"

The Commander looks to the map. "To get her to the tunnel, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin will make contact with the target. The rest of the regiment will be disguised as civilians and move in to incapacitate her. As an extra precaution, I want a fully equipped squad standing by on her tail. Joshua, you join that squad, okay? You'll be observing the target."

"Understood."

"The target's actions are likely to be erratic," Levi says to me. "Keep a close watch at all times."

* * *

_Stohess District_

"We began the mission as soon as the carriages carrying the Scout leaders and Jean entered the city. As expected, the Military Police is escorting the carriages through the city, though it seems the recruits are responsible. This makes the job easier, but how easy this mission will be is dependent on Armin's ability to get Annie's cooperation." I look away from my journal, looking down at the street from my vantage point on a building. I see Annie and the other recruits saluting as the carriages pass. I wish I could see her face, hoping that Eren is indeed right, that I am wrong about her. "As you two know, Annie was never the friendly type, but never was she the enemy either. She just kept to herself, but I always thought her to be a good person. Maybe she just never had interactions with people her age before training, hence her reclusiveness, but… Never would I ever consider this day. My rage has quelled over the last two days, but my resolve is firm. Thomas, Mina, I have to bring our friend in...or worse, kill her." Closing my journal, I sigh as I continue watching our target. The escort hasn't begun yet, so I still have little time to gather my thoughts.

Annie Leonhart. What can I say about her? She's cute, though not my type, especially not now. Calling her a friend is more of a formality than truth. We only had a few interactions in the last three years that can be called "social," so I don't know much about her. Her skill is evident in her ranking and actions. She's quiet, rather speaking with her actions rather than words, but when she does speak, it is at opportune times. She did teach me and Eren that one grapple move that, to this day, I still have pain from. But I kept going back to her to master it, and in time, I did so, thanks to Annie's tutelage.

_"Look at that. You picked that up pretty quickly. You've got the makings of a good fighter, Joshua."_

_I stand out of the stance and turn to Annie. "Heh. Thanks, Annie. But I don't know about that."_

_She smiles, but like her laugh, it is gone as quickly as it appeared. "Well, you wouldn't be any match for the likes of Mikasa yet, of course. I...wonder what my father would say if he knew how much interest there was in the technique he developed."_

_A complex expression comes across Annie's face as she looks to the ground. There's something to it, most likely stemming around her father. "Your father..."_

_She shrugs it off before I can fully question her. "I'll teach you more if you like. I can think of worse ways to pass the time."_

The last carriage passes by, so the MP begins their escort. Annie gets a few steps in before a voice stops her in her tracks. She pauses in place as her fellow soldiers pass her before turning around and heading into an alleyway, facing a cloaked figure. _Good, Armin got her attention._

"Hi. Looks like you're a full-fledged MP now."

"Armin… Why are dressed like that?"

"I'm a cargo carrier. I'm hiding ODM equipment under this rain gear. See?" Armin holds his jacket out, showing Annie his gear.

"What is this about?"

Armin takes off his hood. "Annie. Could you help us let Eren escape?"

"Escape to where? Defying the government's orders, where is there to run inside these Walls?"

"We just need to hide him for a while. We won't be overtly rebelling against the government. It'll basically be an act of defiance by part of the Scout Regiment. We're going to buy enough time to gather some things that will unquestionably overturn the council's say in the matter."

"Overturn it? There's really something that handy? How are you so sure?"

"...I'm sorry. I can't say."

Annie sighs. "Sorry, but I can't accept. I won't tell anyone, though. Good luck."

Annie starts to walk away, but Armin stops her. "Annie! Please! They're going to kill Eren!" That stops Annie right in her tracks. I smile, knowing that Annie, no matter what Armin says from now on, will allow such a thing to happen. _Good one, Armin._ "A bunch of people who know nothing are unwittingly pushing humanity towards the brink of self-extinction simply to save their own necks! I realize it sounds less than convincing. But, even so, we have no choice but to bet on everything now! Of course, we'll try hard not to cause you trouble. But we absolutely need the Military Police's help to sneak him through Wall Sina's security checkpoint. This is our only option left."

Annie looks back at Armin over her left shoulder. "Tell me. Do I look like that good of a person to you?"

"A good person… Actually… I've never been fond of phrasing it that way. Because, to me, it feels like it's only used to refer to people you use for your own convenience. And I don't think there's anyone who's convenient to everyone. Which is why, if you do say no to this, that'll make you a bad person in my eyes." Annie looks back at Armin and then to the ground, taking a moment to decide what to do for herself. She doesn't take too long, as she drops her rifle and faces Armin again.

"Ok." She turns away from Armin, fiddling with her fingers. "I'll do it."

* * *

I land by some of the Scouts at the designated location Armin and the others will take to enter the tunnel. "They're by the tunnel. Be ready." I watch the exchange along with the others equipped on the rooftops and those posing as civilians on the ground. Armin, Mikasa, and Eren are down in the tunnel, while Annie stands outside.

"What is going on?"

_She's smart. I knew that, but a part of me wished she wouldn't have been this smart. _"She knows this is a trap. Be ready. On the movement of those on the ground, we'll make our move." I watch with intense anticipation for the signal to move as Annie looks like she's laughing. A moment later, Mikasa draws a blade, Annie raises her arm, and Eren fires the acoustic signal. I nod to the Scouts with me, and we drop down the street, running as fast as we can around the corner to Annie's location. The disguised Scouts have her restrained, so there's no way she can-

_Boom!_

Lightning hits the ground around Annie and the others, debris and bodies fly everywhere. I fall on my back due to the force of Annie's transformation and by being hit by debris. My head feeling heavy, I try my best to look at what happen.

Rising out the smoke is the Female Titan...no, Annie's Titan. I rise up despite the pain of my body and the blood dripping down my face telling me to stay "Annie!" I draw my blades as she towers over me, wiping my forehead. We share a staredown, in which I believe that smile on her face is to mock me. She begins to run, stepping over me like the bug I am to here. The force of her feet meeting the ground kicks me to my back and knocks me unconscious...

* * *

I cough as my senses return to me. I reach for my swords, then attempt to stand up. I manage to weakly get to my feet, standing long enough to gather my surroundings. I'm still on the street that we tried capturing Annie on, the bodies of my comrades a reminder of our failure. How much time has passed? Maybe I'm too late? Did our second plan succeed or did we fail again, with the interior wall now endangered? Overwhelmed, I fall on my knees, dropping my weapons. I don't remember Eren and the others coming out the tunnel after Annie's transformation, yet I don't believe that any harm came to them. But I must find out for myself...if I can only get up.

"Josh! Hey! Are you alright?" Two sets of feet land near me, and I look up to see Jean and Armin. They kneel in front of me with concern, but I wave them off.

"I'm good. A little confused, my body hurts, I think I'm still bleeding, but I am feeling good. What's the situation?"

Armin looks to his right. "Our first mission failed… We have to go on to the next stage."

"Your ODM gear is working, right?" Jean stands up, walking around Armin and I. "Then snap out of it. I'm going to distract the Female Titan, you're coming along too!" Jean zips away from us. Armin helps me to my feet as I look towards the departing Jean. Distract the Female Titan? What does he...oh no.

"Is something wrong with Eren?"

"He couldn't transform...but he's alive for now. We need to buy him time to get himself together."

"So we're on Plan C?"

He nods with a sigh. "Yes. Unless Eren gets up… This is our last good chance to capture that thing. Hurry!" Armin flies off, leaving me alone to my thoughts. He's right, we only got one shot left at this. I dust myself off, check my equipment, and dart into the air after Armin. By the time I catch up, Armin is back on the ground, standing before the Female Titan. "Annie! If you don't kill me this time, your feeble excuses about 'the real bet starting now' will be worthless!"

I have no idea as to what he's talking about, but whoever gave Armin a temporary shot of testosterone, make it permanent. As soon as Armin stops speaking, I dash right over him making a beeline for Annie. However, at the last second, I dive low to go between her legs while Jean attacks her from above. She protects her nape, of course, but now we have her attention. "Josh! Armin! This way!"

"Alright!" The three of us join up and fly away from Annie, who follows us perfectly as planned. She's fast, but for some reason, she's not chasing us as she did Levi Squad before their deaths. I guess I should be thankful, but in a moment, no thanks will be needed. We made it to our destination. I turn around, give Annie the finger, then zip to my right, close to where Hange and Moblit are hiding.

Before Annie realizes it, she's nailed by several restraints fired from barrels by the Scouts, the same restraints used in the forest. Armin and Jean barely escape the Titan's reach before the restraints hold her in place and force her to her back. Some Scouts drop a spiked net on her, hoping to hold her on the ground. Nowhere to go, no way to get up, I sigh in relief. We got her. Plan C worked.

* * *

"All right! Personally, I thought having a Plan C seemed like overkill. But Commander Erwin really does know his stuff."

I look to the rope-twirling Hange. "You thought this was overkill? You of all people?"

"Mhm. Now then…" Hange drops from the building, landing by Annie's face. I can feel Moblit's nervousness behind, which for once I'll have to concur on. I follow Hange, but to a different location: Mikasa's. We exchange no words, just a glance and a nod. I can see she has her fair share of wounds from taking on Annie. I managed to take care of my bleeding on my forehead with a bandage, so seeing the tougher of us two hurting a little does make me smile a bit.

I turn my attention to the crazy section commander as she approaches Annie. "I suggest you be a good girl and behave yourself." She touches Annie's eyelid and holds a sword in front of the organ. "You can't call any Titans to eat you this time. But don't you worry. I'll savor the information I'll prise out of you anyway."

Next thing I know, Mikasa, Hange, and I are on a roof together, breathing heavily as debris clouds the street. Annie kicked away her restraints, which is why we rose off the street.

"She broke free?"

"Looks like we didn't set enough traps!"

I clench my jaw. Plans A and C are a failure, while Plan B is temporarily not an option. "What do we do, SC?"

"Don't let her escape! After her!" All at once, we trail the Female Titan like flies to a barbeque To create some space, Annie flings debris at us, causing us to scatter and dodge. Mikasa, of course, gets the easy way out of the debris field and zips towards the fleeing Titan. She hooks to the Titan and attacks her lateral left side of her torso, but Annie kicks her away and tumbles on the ground.

"Mikasa!" _Okay, that's it. Screw capturing you. You have hurt my friends, killed my friends' friends, but above all, you betray those who trusted you. No, you didn't betray us because you were never on our side. You never made friends of us. The only reason we felt obligated to not believe the truth is because you were one of us, a cadet of the 104th who fought alongside us, that you taught me, so we called you 'friend.' That is what truly hurts more, that we thought of you like one when you never was!_ I burst forward ahead of everyone, coming up on Annie's right side. She reaches back, grabbing me in her hand, but I easily break out with my blades. My chase continues as I fly up from the ground to a roof then back to Annie, this time aiming for her nape. Like a broken record, she hardens her hand to protect the nape, breaking my blades. "Dammit!" I pull back, replenishing my swords. Damn, what is it going to take for us to bring her down? We tried capturing her as a human, then as a Titan, and Eren-Oh.

The sky flashes yellow, the telling sign of a Titan transformation. We all pause as the light vanishes, waiting for the one who transformed to show up. He didn't make us wait long. With a mighty roar, Eren enters the area, running towards Annie. She turns to face him, but she's too late as he punches her through a tower in the middle of the courtyard we're outside of. She lands on her back, possibly dazed from the strike to her face.

"I hope no one was in that building." I turn around, heading to the street where Mikasa landed. She sits upright, staring at Eren, which for me means she's alive and well. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know." I reach my hand out to her, helping her to her feet. "I came back for you, hoping you were dead or something."

"Oh." She brushes off the dust on her white shirt, then turns to me, with a hint of a smirk but much gratitude in her eyes. "Say anything else, I might think you care about my wellbeing."

I roll my eyes. "Shut up, Ackermann." Seeing Mikasa stumble on her feet, I catch her, holding her as I lower ourselves to our knees. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes," she says, but she doesn't let go. Deciding that making sure she's okay is more important than watching Eren beat Annie (or vice versa), I chuckle as I sheathe my blades.

"You know, Jean would love to be here right now."

Mikasa scoffs. "Wouldn't he?"

"Yes. I'm sure many guys would love to be the one that Mikasa Ackermann, the toughest, baddest bitch we know, is wounded and leaning on to for support."

"Then, I guess the same goes for my position, for who wouldn't want the support of Joshua Hardin when they can't stand on their own." She smiles, this time a full grin. "Lucky me."

"Tch. Don't get too comfortable. One day...maybe when killing Titans is gone from his head, he'll notice you."

Mikasa's smile drops as she rises up, looking to the sky. I stand beside her, watching as her head falls in sadness. "It's not-"

"Lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me. But Mikasa, take it from me." I take out my necklace, holding it up to her. "There are some things in this world that actions are louder than words, but in the time we live in, sometimes words are more preferable. I didn't get that chance with Mina, because I didn't understand her actions until Trost before we went out to fight the Titans. I'll probably never get that chance for some more time now." I set the necklace back in its place under my shirt, then turn to Mikasa. She raises her hand to my face, wiping underneath.

"You are crying."

"Eye sweat. Kinda tired, you know."

"Sure."

Laughing, I step away. "I could've left you behind, you know. I'm missing an entertaining bout. We hurry up, we might catch the rest."

* * *

We get up in the air, trailing everyone else following the two Titans. I enjoy the looks of the aristocrats and MPs of the city, appalled by the presence of Titans. For too long they lived a comfortable peace...even after Maria fell, those living in Sina did not suffer much, if at all. Now they all get a taste of the reality I lived through twice.

By the time we catch up, Annie turns away from a beaten Eren, but after a few steps, Eren revives himself and chases her down. Annie, stunned by Eren's relentlessness, is unable to escape her raging enemy and is caught, the pair of them sliding close to the Wall.

We land beside Hange, Armin, Jean, Moblit, and other Scouts. Mikasa takes a cautionary step forward, concerned about Eren. "Eren…"

"Stop!" We face Hange, who gave the order. "I'm not sure Eren will recognize you now."

_Like Trost? _We face the Titans, seeing Eren on top of Annie, however, he looks different. I gasp, recognizing the darker skin and the orange hues. "He's...like a Hyper Titan now."

Hange nods. "What we thought about them is true. They're regular Titans with more aggressive tendencies. In Eren's case, his aggressive side has taken control." We watch in awe as Eren squishes Annie's face with a roar. Annie responds with a cry of her own. She hits Eren with her elbow and kicks him away just underneath us. Despite the impact, we maintain our footing, the building, its integrity. Annie, now realizing her chance, hardens her fingertips and heads for Wall Sina. With a large leap, she attaches to the Wall.

"She's on the Wall!"

"She intends to climb over!" We follow Hange, hoping to prevent Annie's escape. Eren manages to get up in time to weigh Annie down and prevent her from ascending before Annie kicks him off, losing one of her feet in the process. However, that's all the time needed, for while Annie does get high on the Wall, she can't escape the two fastest flyers

"I won't let you!" Mikasa and I run as fast as we can on the buildings leading to the Wall before taking flight, pushing our gas expulsion to the maximum. We make it to the Wall and swoop up on each side of Annie, aiming for her fingers. Mikasa gets to the right hand, striking just underneath the hardened layer of skin to cut Annie's fingers off. I do the same to her left hand, then bounce off the Wall as Annie begins her descent. We land on Annie's face, looking down on her just as much as she looked down on us.

"Annie.."

"...Fall." We leap off, watching as the Female Titan hits the ground. As she tries to get up, the enraged Eren grabs her. He punches so hard he severs one of Annie's arms. Now with her nape expose, her only means to protect herself against Eren gone, Annie is vulnerable. Even with both of his hands gone, Eren still has the upper hand. He bites down, ripping off the head of the Female Titan plus the skin and muscles around Annie, much as she to him.

The real Annie shoots up surrounded by muscle tissue. Eren growls as he looks at her, knowing his prey is defeated and defenseless. From my perch on the side of the Wall, I silently will Eren to finish it, yet for some reason, he hesitates. Looking closer, I can see why. "Are those...tears?" She has the audacity to shed tears at this moment? And Eren decides to have his humanity now? "Eren finish h-" Blue light escapes where the Female Titan's head used to be. The phenomenon is unknown to us, but after a moment, we see what's happening. Eren's Titan and Annie's, they begin to merge. "We got to get him out of there!" Mikasa and I fall to the ground, hoping to get to Eren in time, but from out of nowhere the lieutenant arrives. Levi excises Eren from his Titan. With one problem taken care of, I turn to the source of the vanished blue light. We never saw that ability with Annie in the forest, so I wonder what its true purpose was. I walk over to the Female Titan, prepared to capture Annie once and for all.

I gasp at the sight before me. "No!" Annie is there, still within her Titan...and surrounded by that hard material she produces. If she's alive, we're not getting to her.

* * *

"Eren?" I hear Eren coming to behind me, but I pay more attention to Jean striking Annie's crystal coffin. Damn, all of the blood, sweat, and tears the last few days, and when we reach the climax, this is how it ends?

"Mikasa… Where's Annie?"

"Over there." I step aside so he can get a look at Annie's self-imposed prison. Jean's sword is nothing more than a brittle, dull knife at the point, but that only serves to make him angrier.

"Damn it! What the hell? After all this, we get the silent treatment? Annie! Get out here! Get out here and pay for what you've done! Come on! Don't be a coward! Annie! Annie!"

Though Jean is right, Levi stops Jean's rant while Hange gives out orders for transporting Annie. Sighing, I let it go for now, looking down as Mikasa and Armin prepare to leave with a few Scouts and a once-again unconscious Eren. Armin steps up to me. "You okay, Joshua?"

"Yeah. Just...wish it didn't end like this. But a win is a win, right? If we even won at all."

Armin sighs. "Right… You coming or staying?"

I nod my head. "I'll come along." We escort Eren to a secure location, most likely the Military Police's headquarters of Stohess, staying in the room he slumbers in. Mikasa sits beside the bed, Armin and I sit on a nearby couch, and (when he arrives much later on) Jean stands by the windows. Eventually, Eren wakes up, possibly two hours after his fight ended.

"Do you feel all right," Mikasa asks him.

Eren rises up. "Yeah. It's weird how normal I feel… I guess Annie's still stuck in there?"

"Yeah…"

Jean clicks his tongue. "Damn. That big of an operation, all for nothing."

"Annie went that far to keep her information safe."

"Yeah. She slipped right through our fingers."

"No, she didn't." Placing my journal in my pocket, I look down on Eren, my sight mixed between understanding and anger for what he did, for what I am going to accuse him of. "Eren let her get away, didn't you?"

Eren looks down, but he nods as well. "Yeah. It's true. I screwed up. I froze as soon as I saw her."

"Armin Arlelt. Jean Kirschtein." We turn to a Military Police soldier standing in the doorway. "You're wanted for debriefing."

"Right."

"Guess we're up first."

"See you later, then."

"Yeah." Armin and Jean leave the room, I follow right behind. "Josh?" I turn to Eren, who now looks to me. "Where are you heading to?"

"Hange might still need help, so I'm going back. I'll check on you later." I step away, but not too far away from the door. I don't know why, but I'm not ready to see Annie again. Not as she is, that is.

"It actually felt nice. Having my body come apart somehow felt...refreshing. So much so, I felt like I wanted to die."

"Eren."

"I don't want to now."

Mikasa leans forwards, taking both of Eren's hands in hers. She holds her head low, possibly to hide her face. "I'm glad...that you came back…" Eren looks at Mikasa, not saying a word. I stare back a moment longer, unconsciously holding the piece of wood dangling off my neck. I turn away to lean against the wall, taking it off and holding it in my hand. For the first time since the aftermath of Trost… I actually miss her. I write to her, to both of them, in the journal, and I do miss Thomas, but Mina… I must move on. But not before I follow my own advice.

"Mina Carolina… I wish you would come back...so I can tell you those words to your face."

* * *

After a few minutes, I arrive back at to the Scouts getting Annie prepared for transport. I find myself still seething in my rage against Annie. I can't bring myself to look at the crystal without getting angry, but my fate will have me do otherwise. Sighing, I walk towards my favorite section commander and her subordinate. Hange happens to turn around and see me, waving me over. Calming myself as the Scouts place a cover around the wrapped crystal, I approach Hange. "Is there anything I can do, SC?"

"If you've got time to spare, then help-" A loud rumble emits near us, the culprit a piece of rock. No, not rock, but stone, the same material the Wall is made of. It came from the part of the Wall that suffered from Annie's fingers. Normally, we wouldn't pay much attention to it, but some of the other Scouts seem to have a surprised look about them as they look at the Wall. Wondering what the clamor is all about, I take a few steps towards it before looking up.

If I could manage words, it is too late since all air possible to do such a thing has left my body. _In the Wall… Is that… A Titan?_


	14. The Breach: No Rest For The Soldiers

**Picking up where we ended the last chapter, we begin Season 2. Thankfully you don't have to wait four years for this one.**

**Currently writing the Utgard Castle part, and after seeing last week's episode, I think I feel bad for Ymir now. Sometimes I forget she's a Titan, hell, even alive. But for one moment, she steals the show. I do not know anything past where the anime is at, but I would hope Ymir does return. Considering some new information, I don't think so.**

**Anyway, start next chapter (the one many of you have been waiting for) I'm doing something different. Because the next chapter is better adapted from the anime rather than the game (unnecessarily lengthy really, plus Josh will not join the Garrison at the eastern front), I've decided to shift focus onto Sasha. I think it worked out well. Usually, you get Josh's view of other characters, but now you'll get the opposite at times, them reflecting on him. Other times, you might the other character's perspective just because why not.**

**Now, this chapter is short, nothing more than the intro to the third part of the story, enjoy and see you guys next week! **

* * *

After a few minutes, I arrive back at to the Scouts getting Annie prepared for transport. I find myself still seething in my rage against Annie. I can't bring myself to look at the crystal without getting angry, but my fate will have me do otherwise. Sighing, I walk towards my favorite section commander and her subordinate. Hange happens to turn around and see me, waving me over. Calming myself as the Scouts place a cover around the wrapped crystal, I approach Hange. "Is there anything I can do, SC?"

"If you've got time to spare, then help-" A loud rumble emits near us, the culprit a piece of rock. No, not rock, but stone, the same material the Wall is made of. It came from the part of the Wall that suffered from Annie's fingers. Normally, we wouldn't pay much attention to it, but some of the other Scouts seem to have a surprised look about them as they look at the Wall. Wondering what the clamor is all about, I take a few steps towards it before looking up.

If I could manage words, it is too late since all air possible to do such a thing has left my body. _In the Wall… Is that… A Titan?_

"Your orders, Section Commander?"

"Huh? What? Hold on!" I turn to Hange, watching her trying to process the current situation as we are. Soon as we solve one mystery, another one pops up. "Is… Is this the only Titan like this? Or are there Titans...inside all of the Walls?" Before anyone else could speak, a hand clasps Hange's left soldier. We turn to its owner, a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe trying his best to catch his breath. I recognize him as one of those worshippers of the Walls, but his name is lost on me. Hange knows him. "Pastor Nick?"

"Whatever you do...you _must_ keep that Titan out of the sunlight!"

"Huh?"

* * *

As instructed, we covered the Wall Titan with a sheet until repairs can be made. The Scouts formed two parties, one to take Annie to her underground holding, the other sticking with the Section Commander on top of Sina that took care of the Wall Titan. However, our business is incomplete. Thanks to Annie's escape attempt, we got more questions than we had earlier today, but we also got someone who can answer them.

Hence Hange begins her interrogation of Pastor Nick. "Now then… It's time for you to talk. What is this Titan? What is it doing inside the Wall? And… Why did you keep it this a secret all this time?"

Pastor Nick, who is kneeling down to see the work done with the sheet, stands up and dusts his robe. "I have work to do! My church and followers have been devastated. This is your fault! I _will_ demand restitution! Now let me back down!"

Hange nods. "Certainly. Joshua."

"Yes, ma'am." I walk over to Pastor Nick, grabbing him by the robe and hold him barely on the edge. Nick begins to panic to my enjoyment. "Will straight down do? Do you think you're having a hard day? Let me tell you about my day! No, let's go with the last month! Trost, I lose two of my friends and a girl very special to me. The last few days, including today, I come to the knowledge that someone who I known for years just so happened to be our enemy! Then, as soon as I think we're done with the excitement, there's your Wall buddy. I believe, Pastor, that I've had a very shitty day. So unless you want to join your followers, I suggest you talk."

The other Scouts, save for Hange, become alarmed by my actions, especially Moblit. "Joshua, what are you doing? Section Commander?"

"Stay back." Hange steps forward beside me, looking at Nick scornfully. "Do you people know why we Scouts have shed so much blood? To take back our freedom from the Titans! I was willing to sacrifice my own life for the cause. I'm not asking you to talk, I'm ordering you. Is that clear? And if you won't talk, I'll try the next person. _Your_ measly life wouldn't make up for much, anyway!"

"Let...go of me!"

"Like this? Right now?"

"...Yes!"

"Fine then. Die. Drop him."

I hold Nick's body out more. "With pleasure."

"Section Commander!"

"Kill me and learn! We _will_ fulfill our duty, without fail! So," Pastor Nick spreads his arms out, ready to drop like a fallen angel, "let me go this instance!" I wait for Hange to give me the order a second time, though I really hope she does let me drop him then catch him. He's scum, but his type of scum doesn't deserve to get out of life so easily. "Deliver me...O Lord…"

"...Let him live." I throw Pastor Nick behind us, letting him roll on the top of Sina. Hange sits down, chuckling to herself. "Just kidding. I wasn't serious." My face loses its color. I thought she decided to spare him for the sake of our conscious, not because of a joke. Good grief… "Tell me, Pastor Nick… Are all the Walls made of Titans?"

Moblit walks over. "Section Commander…"

"Whew, I forgot how this feels. I haven't felt this way since my first time outside the Walls. Talk about terrifying." Hange turns to me, patting the ground. "How about you?"

"I partially wish we let him drop."

* * *

"Cadet Hardin."

"Sir...s." I salute in the presence of Commander Erwin and Lieutenant Levi. I was told by a Scout that the former needed to speak with me, so I found him in the courtyard of the Military Police's headquarters. Didn't expect to see Levi.

"I've got a favor to ask you."

I drop my arm, looking at the commander with curious eyes. A favor from me? "What is it?"

"The damage here to Stohess is extensive. We'll need to stay a while longer. So I'd like you to go tell Miche and the others about what's happened. They're at an outlying installation in the southern part of Wall Rose."

"Take a fas horse an tell the Scouts who are watching the rest of the 104th cadets about eveything that went down here. Got It?"

I nod to the lieutenant. "Of course. Right away, sir."

Erwin nods, "Good. I'll leave it to you, then. And after you've completed the task, you can join your pals from the 104th again, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"Make sure you replenish your supplies before you head out. Just in case. Any questions?"

I did have one. "Sir, if I remember, the reason only Mikasa, Armin, Jean and I were trusted to this mission in Stohess is because we weren't suspected of working with Annie. Does this mean the others are above suspicion as well?"

"Hmm. We've still investigating, but as of now, don't worry about it. If you must, you may do a little digging yourself."

"Very well."

"Dismissed!" I walk away from the pair, thinking about my new mission. As much as I wanted to stick with Hange and continue with the new problem of the Walls, if the commander is asking me to do this, there must be a reason. Any Scout could have done this job, but Erwin _asks_ me to… He says the investigation is pending, but something tells me he told me his reasoning without saying it at all.

* * *

Whatever the truth is, the next morning, I say my goodbyes to my friends and ride to the installation to the south, between Wall Rose and Wall Sina. I get in th vicinity of the outpost by early afternoon, so I let my horse move steadily as I begin my approach.

"Sasageyo! sasageyo! shinzou wo sasageyo! Every sacrifice led to this moment! Sasageyo! sasageyo! shinzou wo sasageyo! Carve out with your own hands a path to the future! Oh?" My horse starts to become tense so I halt it and begin looking around. I'm not far from the outpost now, matter of fact I'm sure I can be spotted by the soldiers there. However, I don't see a soul looking my way.

"Something is wrong." I take out my telescope, surveying the area. There's no trouble to the east (the direction I came from) or else I would have known beforehand. The north west is clear too. Last, I check south, initially determining that its clear, but my scope catches weird movements that don't seem natural. Shortening the tube to widen my sight, I gasp as a issue we though resolved comes marching out of a forest. "Titans...inside Wall Rose? Is there a breach?"

Our expedition was three days ago and we were forced to take care of some Titans on our return trip. But Calaneth is to the far northeast of my position. Trost is to the southwest, but if Trost was attacked again, I would have heard about it as I passed it. That means that there's a breach somewhere west of Trost along the wall.

Ah shit, here we go again.

I am equipped for battle, but I decide not to engage the few Titans alone. Snapping my horse's reins, I rush towards the installation. Once I get there, I see the Scouts preparing to evacuate, but none notice me. I look around for Section Commander Miche Zacharius. Spotting him on the rooftop with one of the officers, Nanaba, I join them on their perch. "Section Commander!"

Nanaba turns to me, surprised. "You! What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Commander Erwin sent me here with a report."

"About the Female Titan?" Miche sighs, placing his hands on his hips. "Sorry, we've got bigger fish to fry right now!"

"We've got a possible breach in Wall Rose. You can make your report once we're out of this mess."

"Yes ma'am."

"It's a good thing you came well-stocked with supplies. We're gonna need your help, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"As soon as the Titans reach the woods, we'll split into four teams of recruits and soldiers alike and then simultaneously scatter in each direction. Avoid combat when possible and focus on getting the word out!"

_A simple task, Erwin said. Fucking Titans. _Back on my horse, we ride north, away from the Titans. As much as I am happy to see my friends, I wish it was under much better circumstances, like, for example, not having a damn group of Titans after us? Eren and the others are catching a break, these guys had one, but me? Nah. Joshua Hardin, you get no rest!

"Is anyone familiar with the area?"

Sasha raises her hands. "M-Me! My town's north of here. I know the lay of the land well. And...so does Conny." Looking at Conny, I see the boy looks absolutely horrified. If he's from this region, there's a chance his village encountered the Titans. "Conny?"

"My village… My village is to the south...where the Titans are coming from." Oh. Then… No, there's a possibility that the Titans never encountered the village, just coincidently originate from that direction. "I can take you to the nearby villages. After that… Please let me visit mine."

"All right. You'll guide the southern team."

I ride up to Sasha's side. "Sasha, I'll go with you."

"Huh? Why?"

I shrug. "I don't know, seems like a great idea. Plus I owe you one."

Sasha doesn't understand what I owe her yet, but she smiles anyway. "Thank you." I smile back, then turn around to the mean-faced girl I know as Ymir Fritz.

"Hey, Fritz, I hope you haven't forgotten our deal."

She rolls her eyes with a laugh. "I thought you would have."

I wink. "I never forget."

"The Titans have reached the woods!"

"Scatter!"

Sasha, me, and the Scouts with us split from the group. As the smaller groups scatter, I watch the Titans in the woods. I smile, knowing that today will be the one day I don't have to kill a Titan. They can go to hell. "Feels good to leave the Titans in the dust for once, huh?"

Sasha nods. "Yes, but don't jinx it. We might have to encounter more."

I scoff, gesturing in the direction of the Titans. "True, but it isn't like these guys are going to catch up. Look, they even stop, knowing they'll…" Now I have seen all kinds of Titans. Small Titans, large Titans, admittedly hot Titans (Annie's for one), angry Titans, sad Titans, happy Titans, some Titans that look horny, hungry, disgusted. But what I am going to relay might seems crazy, but it is the truth. You with me? Good.

I just saw a Titan do a fucking jumping twirl before it and its pals start sprinting after the southern team. My group continues riding at our current speed, but I watch as Miche diverts from the southern team towards the Titans. He's going to try to draw them off. "Damn!" Desiring to help him but knowing he can handle the situation due to his skill being second to Lieutenant Levi's, I swallow my pride and continue to follow Sasha.

_Good luck, Section Commander Miche._

* * *

**Not gonna lie, that Titan twirl was majestic. You know it. I know it. We all know it.**


	15. The Breach: Sasha Braus

**Totally a very late update. I thought I uploaded last weekend but apparently not, much to my surprise when I boot up my computer and I'm still on the document manager. So I guess this will be a double upload day, this chapter and the first third of Utgard Castle.**

**Oh, well, the anime is over until next fall, but for us, the show goes on. I also finally bought the game myself last Friday, as I waited for the Season 3 content to come.**

**You guys know what this chapter is, I won't keep you, enjoy!**

* * *

_3 years ago_

The young girl kneels over as her run finally comes to an anticlimactic conclusion. She craves for air as much as she desires a potato, but with her dinner privileges revoked for a few days, the girl will have to endure her unsated gluttony. At least, starting tomorrow.

I walked quietly towards her, but I'm sure she heard my feet against the dry ground. Even though it's very dark, I can see her with the torches as she lays on her back, too exhausted to pick herself up. I chuckle as I come close, extending my arm out to help her. "Hey, need a hand?" She opens her eyes, the only form of movement she manages. Understanding, I drop to my butt, looking to the night sky. For the first day at boot camp, it was quite eventful, especially when she got caught. Remembering her punishment and the real reason I'm out here, I reach into my pocket, handing her a hot, steaming potato. "Maybe this will pick you up?"

She sees the steaming item in my hand, and like a dog seeing a bone, she perks up. She raises up to her waist, her pupils expand with desire, her mouth floods with saliva. She reaches out quickly for the potato. "Gimme!"

Just as quickly, I rescind my hand, moving the potato out of her reach. "No."

She continues to fight me over it until I stand up. Even with her burst of energy, her body is still winded. Unable to stand, she falls back down, whining like a toddler. "Whaaaaat? But...you must have come out here to give it to me!"

True, I am going to give it to her. However, in light of the entertainment earlier, I want to see how far she'll go just for food. "Yes, but not because I'm kind or anything."

"So you're bribing me. Food for something else?"

"...Yes, if you put it that way. Except I'll let you choose how you do so. Deal?" The girl nods and I sit back down, handing her the potato. Within seconds of grasping it, I swear half the item is gone. Damn, she must've been hungry. My mission accomplished and my energy wearing thin, I push myself on my knees before a hand grasps my arm. I turn around to the golden-eyed redhead with half a potato in her other hand, confused as to why she's holding me back.

"I haven't paid you back yet." I really didn't want anything back, definitely didn't expect anything immediately. However, before I could tell her otherwise, she throws herself on me, giving me the tightest hug I've had since… Not wanting to make the situation awkward, I wrap my arms around her. "Thank you," she whispers in my ear.

"You're….welcome." Once we break apart she smiles as she attends to her potato. "You know, I was kidding about you owing me back. You didn't have to do that."

"What are you talking about? That's just my thanks. I'll pay you back someday, I promise! You're like...my first friend here, so in light of our friendship, I owe this to you."

I nod, patting the girl on her shoulder. So I guess we're friends now...weird to consider someone other than Mikasa that's a girl "a friend". I wait for her to finish the potato then I help her to her feet and escort her to the girl's barracks. Once there, before I could turn away, I'm caught in another hug, with a lot more sniffing. "Hey, you're...hugging again…"

The girl steps back, shaking her head. "No, I noticed that your neck smells like well-seasoned meat. Sorry about that." She extends her hand, smiling brightly. "I'm Sasha Brauss, from a little village north of Trost. Nice to meet you, friend."

I take her hand. "Joshua Hardin, from Shiganshina."

* * *

_Present_

"Alright, rookie, we've warned this village of the Titans. Good work."

I nod to the Scout I joined to warn one of the villages of the breach in Wall Rose and the Titans that come of it. Luckily, the Titans were not present in the area, so we got in time. It makes me jealous that these villagers get a warning, but when it mattered years ago… That's harmful thinking. Yes, I am jealous but whenever I look upon a child's face, it sparks a glow in this heart that says that I can do for them what wasn't done for me. They won't have to experience the hell I am going through with the loss of my parents, at least not today.

The Scout points away to the village. "I'll stay here and look after things. You continue to scout out to the other villages, got it?"

"Yes, sir." Already on my horse, it was a quick escape from the evacuating village. I continue heading to the north, wondering if I'll ever catch up to Sasha. Her village is in the area, huh? I hope everything is okay...

* * *

_Sasha_

"See that? That's the village!"

"Is that the last one

"No. My village is deep in the forest. I'll go there alone."

The Scout beside her grunts in worry, but nonetheless he says nothing to sway her mind otherwise. "All right. Leave this village to me!"

"Got it!" The Scout splits off from Sasha as she rides closer to the deep woods. Despite the situation being rather tame, something didn't settle right with Sasha. Sure, there were no signs of Titans anywhere and the breach is hypothesized to be to the south, but that's hopeful wishing. Even with all signs telling her everything is okay, Sasha has been through enough to tell herself otherwise. Even without her gear or with a Scout with gear equipped, Sasha is prepared to enter hell should it be there.

_Father, I hope you are okay… _It is at this time when one is mostly focused on a task, that memories of the past show up. Sasha recalls a time close to three years ago, two years after the fall of Wall Maria but not quite close to her recruitment, that Sasha and her father had a discussion in which he gave her very valuable words.

* * *

_Three years ago_

"Hey, quit it, Sasha!" Her father did his best to take the meat from Sasha's mouth while not attempting to hurt her, Sasha equally fights back. She growls like a wild lion as she attempts to rip apart the tough meat. "Sasha! You've been nabbin' snacks again? Stop! Spit it out! Get it out of yer mouth! We're fixin' to smoke that winter, ya moron!"

Sasha unintentionally spits out the meat, watching it land on the ground. Her father steps in front of her, preventing her from picking it up. However, her desire for food provides her with strength and she pushes her old man aside and picks up the meat.

"You...damn dumb girl. Fine! Have it your way!" The elder Brauss releases his daughter and walks to his house. "Dagnabbit." Sasha momentarily ceases her animalistic eating and watches her father curiously. Fearing his return, she runs behind a nearby tree, watching her pops from behind as he takes off his hat to wipe his forehead. "Sasha. Have you asked yerself why the world is a-changing? Why these past few years the forests been a-shrinkin' and game harder to find? Have you ever thunk about it?"

Sasha angrily knows the answer. She slurps the meat in her mouth before telling her father why. "It's because more people be comin' and takin' food and game from the forest. That's why I'm hungry."

"That's true. But, hey...they lost their homes and got no place to go. They got no other choice."

"Their fault for losing it. They oughta leave ours."

"Titans took it from 'em. They knocked a hole straight through Wall Maria. Where else can they go? You can feed a hella lot more people by clearin' the forests and plantin' grain." He looks to the discarded bow and arrow laying beside a tree stump. "Maybe its time for our family to let go of the forest and give up huntin' for good. The government said they would pay us. Every horse that we raise is money in our pockets."

Sasha steps out from behind the tree, furious that her father would suggest giving up their way of life for money. "You gotta be kidding! If we give up huntin', we'll be givin' up who we are! Why should we give a hoot about the people who make fun of our lifestyle?"

"I'll tell ya why." Sasha's father stands up, looking at her from under the brim of his hat. "It's because...we're all part of the same world. We humans… We've always been pack animals. Sure, we all live different ways. But when space is this short, we gotta join the group and do what's best to-"  
"No! I refuse! We've lived here all our lives, just like the way our ancestors taught us! We don't owe nothing to any outsiders!"

Sasha's father, having taken a few steps away to Sasha's right, looks back to her. With a sigh, he looks away, nodding. "I see. So be it." He looks up in the clearing, seeing birds circle the trees underneath the light blue and white sky. "Ya can live here in this forest, along with the others who think the same. But, Sasha… Are ya willin' to die for that choice? No matter what trouble comes yer way, you can't go beggin' for help. If you're not here for them, don't expect them to be there for you. I'm willin' to give up our traditions if it means I can live with my family. Goes to show you our world's connected, whether you like it or not. Sasha...are you that much of a scaredy-cat? Is it that hard for you to leave this forest behind and get along with others?

* * *

_Present_

Now close to her village, Sasha looks for any signs of life, whether it be human or Titan. She rushes as fast as she can through the woods. "It's been three years since I've been back. Surely he realized something was amiss and fled." Sasha looks to the ground for a moment, gasping as she sees a prominent depression in the road shaped like a foot. One very large foot. "It can't be? Way out here? They've already come this far?"

She snaps the reins of her horse to rush it along the road. She should be close now. "This place isn't safe for people anymore. If there are Titans around… I should've brought the others. I should've brought Joshua." She sighs at her lack of foresight as she comes out the clearing of the woods. Back to a mostly cut plain, Sasha looks up and gasps as she looks at her surroundings. She knew she was going in the right direction, but the location...is unfamiliar. "What's that? A new village?"

Sasha spurs her horse onwards, leaping across the raised bridge to the entrance to the village. It's quiet, too quiet. Initially, she fears the worst, but upon further inspection, it's a clean kind of quiet. No destruction, no blood spatters, not a single dead body around. The normal Titans, if they indeed came here, are intelligent enough to navigate, so they wouldn't walk into a building. No human remains mean no Titans are here and the people got away safely. Sasha sighs in relief, there's nothing to worry about.

Until she hears the sound of meat being chewed.

Leaping off her horse, she confronts the house where she hears the noises coming from. Within, she immediately spots a three-meter Titan bent over, possibly consuming its victim, but it hasn't noticed her. A second set of noises, a gasp, is from a female human...the Titan's victim. She's being eaten alive, slowly. Picking up an ax left in a tree stump in the front yard, Sasha slowly makes her way into the house. Raising it, she cries out as she swings for the Titan's nape over and over again. However, the ax doesn't cut deep enough to totally destroy the nape of the Titan, too preoccupied with its meal to care about Sasha.

_Damn! If I don't slice it off, it'll just heal back up! _"Ahhh!" She swung back too forceful, instantly losing grip of the ax as it flies and sticks to the ceiling. She isn't going to be able to save this woman. Stepping back, she turns to her right, spotting a young girl watching Sasha. "A child?" Knowing what she needs to do, Sasha walks towards the child, hoping back her guilt of not being able to save the still conscious mother. "I'm so sorry."

She grabs the child's arm and runs out of the house with haste back to the horse. She looks to the child in the pink dress, her eyes filled with so much shock that its unreal how she's moving. "What's your name?" No answer. Sasha figures it isn't that important right now as they get to the horse, hurriedly untying the animal's reins. "Don't worry. It'll be okay."

"What will?"

The girl's speech and defeated tone surprised Sasha"Huh? What? I mean… Um…".The horse's snort alerts Sasha, who is already beginning to panic herself. She's not used to being the rescuer. Oh, why did she come alone? "Steady… Steady. Um, you see… Huh? AHHH!" The now freed horse rushes off, ditching Sasha and the girl for its own life.

"Ah, you're kidding me! Hey! Please wait for us!" She tries whistling for the horse, but it fails to work. Trying to regain some calm, she turns to the girl again. "There's no need to worry. Please stay calm. It'll come right back." _I hope!_

"Why are you so nice when you talk?"

"What?" Before she can ask what the girl means, a thunder-like boom in front of Sasha scares her, the result of the Titan rising up and trying to exit the house. Freaking out but still trying to hold her composure, Sasha quickly looks around for something to aid her, spotting a bow and a few arrows on a crate. "Run away from here! It'll be okay!" she says as she grabs the weapon and the girl, sprinting towards the bridge away from their Titan pursuer.

"Why? Everyone already left. The whole village knew my mother's legs were bad. But not a single person came to help. All I could do was watch."

"_When the_ _Colossal Titan broke the Wall, all I did was run. I think everyone ran for different reasons. I ran for my family, as did others like Eren, but some people...they didn't care about another person. It was all about them. But can we fault them? No...it is a human instinct to protect yourself when fear takes over. But to protect others requires control of fear. My father...he controlled his fear long enough to save me…But not many, that day, had such control."_

_Why now must I remember him? _They reach the bridge, Sasha throwing the bow and arrows up first, then the young girl. She turns around to see the Titan slowly approach her, then nearly loses her footing as part of the bridge under her foot breaks. However, Sasha manages to pull herself up, grab her weapons, and catch up with the girl. The Titan, not as resourceful as Sasha, slips as its foot enters the hole and creates a bigger one, but it manages to hold itself up. But its struggle to get up on the bridge is beneficial to Sasha and the girl as distance is created between humans and Titan. "It'll be okay!" _It's okay._

* * *

_Years ago..._

"You're really starting to tick me off." Sasha turns from the well to the pair of girls that approaches her, Ymir and Christa. She looks to Ymir, the one who apparently Sasha is ticking off. "That stupid way you talk politely to everyone. Why don't you talk to other cadets like normal?"

Sasha fingers her cheek. "Um.. Well, you see…"

"Wait. Let me guess. You're embarrassed by the way people sound from your village." Ymir leans forward, causing Sasha to tense up as she knowingly smiles. "Bulls-eye? I'm surprised an idiot like you cares so much. You can't do anything but hunt, and you're afraid of people, to top it off. I bet you don't have a single good reason for aiming to become a soldier. Your parents probably-"

Christa looks up to Ymir, having enough of the taller girl's taunting. "Stop it, Ymir! You're being-"

"Sasha!' Ymir bumps into Christa to shut her up, then stares seriously at Sasha. "You gonna care what other people think and be someone you're not your whole life? What a crock of shit. You're fine as is, so talk in your own words for crying out loud."

Sasha relaxes, feeling blood rush to her face as she considers Ymir's very harsh advice. "Th-Thank you...very much."

"What?"

"I'm… sorry. I'm not...yet..."

"Cut it out!" Christa bumps back against Ymir, which, given her small size, is quite hilarious. "There's nothing wrong with the way she talks! Sasha is who Sasha wants to be. Her words will always be her own. And I happen to like her."

Ymir scoffs. "Have it your way. Still, even if she changed the way she talks, it won't change the fact she's annoying."

"You know, not everyone is as insensitive as you."

"Excuse me? You little… You little… Hey! What are you laughing at?!"

"Ah! I'm sorry."

* * *

"Sasha."

"Oh, it's you." Sasha, now sitting on the steps to the mess hall, scoots over as Joshua joins her as the moon rises over the trees. She was thinking about her earlier conversation with Ymir and Christa when Josh suddenly appears to shake her out of her mind. "What do you want now?"

"Well, for starters, I think you should speak as you naturally do."

"You've been speaking to Christa and Ymir, have you? So you know why I try to cover it up."

He shakes his head. "No, not really. But that time we were in the woods together, I noticed you spoke differently when talking about your village. You don't have to tell me about it, though."

Sasha sighs. "Well, I might as well explain it now, seeing as you know. Ymir's right. I'm embarrassed by my accent. And I spent all my life up to now in the village, so hunting is all I know. That's why I tend to keep my distance… But the truth is, I really want to be better friends with everyone. Since...you're the only one I really consider a friend right now, please, Joshua, will you help me?"

He smiles. "Leave it to me."

Excited, Sasha wraps her arms around Joshua. "Thank you! I knew you'd come through for me! I just knew it! I'm sure with your help I can get past this. I'm counting on you."

* * *

_Present_

_Why do I remember, now of all times, about silly, pointless days in the past? It's all… I can think of...and for some reason, he's always there. Coming through for me, as always._ Sasha turns to the girl, trying her best to hold back her tears. "Hey, listen up. You'll be fine. Keep following this path. Run as far as you can. I promise someone will be there to help you. You might not find them right away, but still, keep running until you do! Now go!" Sasha releases the girl and pivots on her heel to face the enemy, placing an arrow on the bow and taking aim. "Run! Get runnin'!" She looks back for a second to see the girl running, then begin to fully concentrate on the Titan. _When I needed food, you came through. When I needed friends, you came through. When I needed courage, you came through. Come through for me once more…_

She fires the arrow, right in the Titan's neck. Unharmed, it continues its approach. Running away, Sasha quickly formulates a plan. "If I take out both eyes, it'll buy us plenty of time." Heading for higher ground, Sasha quickly scales the dirt walls along the road and takes aim at the Titan again. Her second shot misses its target, the right eye, as it cuts through the ear on the same side. _Only...two left. Relax. All it is...is a big, slow moving target! _She fires again, striking the Titan's left eye. _Got it! _Once more, the Titan keeps proceeding towards Sasha. _One more arrow. But, if I miss this...we can't escape. If I miss, me and that girl…_

"_Joshua, how are you...so brave? Back in Trost, it was like you didn't fear the Titans at all."_

"_No, I was afraid. Every moment I was afraid. I don't think I wasn't afraid anymore until Eren sealed the Wall. But what got me through my fear is knowing what I have to do. I lost two friends, at the time, three... What got me through is not wanting to lose anyone else. You, Mikasa, Conny, Ymir, Christa, Armin, Jean, Reiner, Annie, Bertholdt, Marco… If I had lost one more, damn it being people I'm close too, I think I would have lost all rationality. But I would rather make sure you guys are safe if I had to give my life."_

_The girl… No matter what, even if I die, she must escape! _Sasha opens her eyes and tosses the bow away. Tightly gripping the arrow, she charges the climbing Titan with a scream. Blood spurts all over her as the arrow is forced through the optical organ, but before Sasha can back through, she feels the Titan's arms surround her. She manages to slip through, thanks to the blood on the Titan's chest, but she only manages a few steps forward before she comes in contact with a saddled but unridden horse. It isn't hers either. "Huh?"

The sound of a large object falling on the ground turns her around, the Titan she escaped from now lying on its back. Blood pools from the nape along the ground, and on its chest stands a figure adorned with the green cloak of the Scout Regiment. "Hmph. You left quite a mess." The Scout turns to Sasha, lowering his hood to reveal himself as he steps off the Titan. "You should thank me for cleaning up."

Sasha feels tears well up in her eyes as she runs to Joshua, leaping into his arms. "You came! I knew you would!"

"Heh. Of course. But I didn't do anything. I wasn't sure I was going the right way until I saw the girl."

Sasha pulls back. "Huh? The girl! Where is she?" Joshua begins to explain, but he's cut short by a riding party on the hill above the road. Both Scouts look up, but it is Sasha who gasps in surprise, as well as the man looking down to them.

"Huh? Sasha?"

* * *

_Joshua_

We now ride with Sasha's father and his team away from the village after I inspected it for more Titans. Seems to be that the one Sasha encountered was the only one. I look to her as she looks to the young girl riding sadly with one of the men. From what I understand, her mother was being eaten right in front of her. I cannot comprehend what the girl is going through now.

"We been givin' horses to everyone in the area. That girl told us someone was still back there and another was going towards the village too. Who'da thunk it was you? You fought off a Titan for that girl, didn't ya?" Sasha nods, to which her father smiles. "Sasha… Yer all I hoped for."

"Father…"

He looks up to me. "And you, son. You came to my daughter, didn't ya?"

"Yes, sir. As fast as I could from another village, though it looks like she had everything handled."

"I see. Tell me why."

I look away from the elder Brauss to his daughter. "She was the first friend I made outside of Shiganshina on our first day of training, as I was to her. The last three years, it has been so that I have always been there for her while I've also attended to other trainees. But… Ever since I lost two people close to me, I've realized I haven't lost the person I've known since day one." Joshua smiles as he looks from Sasha to her father. "When we first met, I gave her a potato because she pissed off our superior officer to have her dinner privilege revoked and he made her run a marathon. She told me she'll pay me back... All this time, she has. It's simple as that. She's been there for me every day since Trost, she just hasn't realized that I needed it."

Sasha's father nods. "I see. Thank you for bein' with my daughter for the last few years. Nice to see she has someone in the outside world."

I nod, then turn to Sasha, the girl blushing most likely at my speech. Catching her eye, I gesture over to the side of the road for us to exit formation. The others keep going per Sasha's silent command. I watch the villagers ride away for another moment before I turn to Sasha. "You okay?"

She nods. "Yes. We're safe now that we've come this far, right? There are no signs of any Titans around."

"Yeah. Besides the one, it seems that Connie is right. They originated in the south… I hope his people are all right." I rub my head, trying my best to not think the worst. "I'm going to regroup with the others, possibly we'll run into Connie and Christa's teams. It's best you and your people get to Ehrmich. It should be safe there."

Sasha looks down, her face dropping sadly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I, um, really appreciate you coming for me. I'll pay you back somehow. Before you say why… It's just… During those moments, I remembered the past. How you would encourage me to be myself when I was confused about my accent, or when you said that what helped you overcome your fear is the lives of your friends. It's silly, pointless even...but if it wasn't for that, I doubt you would have gotten to me in time. Or I'd be more of a coward."

"Oh. well, you're welcome." I smile as I think of a suggestion very specific to Sasha. "You could always pay me back with a hot, steaming potato."

Sasha raises her head up, chuckling embarrassingly at the referred memory. "A potato? Oh no… I really thought everyone had forgotten about that." She looks to me with a smile of her own. "I promise I'll repay you for everything. Just not with food. So don't die out there, okay? Promise!"

I give her a thumbs up. "I promise Sasha Brauss, that I will not die out there. Even if I'm separated in pieces, I shall persist." I lean over on my horse to hug her, but in the middle of it, something...unexpected happens. Sasha pulls away, her face red as an apple.

"I...um… I'll see you later! Ha!" She rides off quickly to rejoin her father, leaving me a confused mess of a man. Unconsciously I graze my fingers over my lips, the heat of them with another's still present.

"Sasha…"


	16. The Breach: Utgard Castle

_An hour later…_

After leaving Sasha and the northern team, I traveled southwest, hoping to meet up with Nanaba, Christa and Ymir's western. It took an hour to find them and after giving Nanaba my report, I settled in with her team. They, too, were done evacuating villages and now heading south to Wall Rose.

"We're getting close to the Wall now," one of the senior scouts told Nanaba, "so there are no people living in the area."

"Right. That didn't take us very long. All right, let's head to the south."

"What for," Ymir asks. "There shouldn't be any villages south of here."

"We need to find the location the Wall was breached. We'll ride along the Wall from the west until we find it."

"But Christa and I don't have out battle gear. There's probably Titans roaming everywhere to our south. It's very possible that we'll become Titan fodder. Let the two of us withdraw from the front." Christa, riding to Ymir's left, softly calls her name, while I, to her right, chuckle low. What Titan would want to eat Ymir? Nanaba declines Ymir's request, saying she'll need them in case a report needs to be relayed and that, though she gets the feeling, this is what they signed up for.

"Ymir," Christa says as we come to a lakeside, "I'm fine with putting my life on the line. After all, I'm the one who chose to join the Scouts. But...it's not the same for you. The only reason you joined the Scouts was because-"

"Hmph! You think I did it for you?!"

"Then why are you even here? You kept trying to convince me to join the Military Police. But then you gave that privilege to me! There's no way I'm good enough to make the top ten on skill alone. I'm sure if I asked anyone, they'd say you deserved to be in it, not me. I don't know how you did it, but… Why? Why would you go that far for me?" Christa pauses for Ymir to give an answer to her, but the older girl holds her tongue as she looks ahead. Sighing, Christa speaks again, her voice becoming softer. "Does it...have to do with my family?"

_Christa's family?_ Originally paying attention to the conversation just because I'm right beside them, I look to Christa, her body slumped on her horse. I wonder what Christa means by that, maybe I'll ask her later.

"Yeah, it does," Ymir finally says. "Christa… Don't worry about it. The only reason I'm here...is for myself and nothing else."

"...I see. Thank goodness."

* * *

_Four hours later_

Seems we weren't the only ones with the idea to follow the wall.

With it being nighttime, traveling is ironically safer despite the lack of light due to the clouds, but that is trivial to the lack of active Titans. Torches alit, we scoured the Wall, yet not finding a single breach of Rose. Not even a sizable crack. This leads us to the present moment, where we meet up with Gelgar's southern team, along with him Conny, Reiner, and Bertholdt. "Did you follow the Wall here, too?"

Nanaba nods. "Yeah. Where did you find the hole?"

"Huh?"

"We didn't find anything to the west. Didn't you find it your way?"

"No. There's no hole this way either."

"What?" I look to Wall Rose, feeling a bead of sweat on my forehead. That's impossible. How could the Titans get inside the Wall without breaking through it? What they do, spring up from the ground?

"Is it possible we missed it?"

"No way. Not a hole big enough for Titans to use."

"Should we go back and look again?"

"We'll need to, but the horses and the rest of us are exhausted. If only we had some moonlight."

"Yeah." As if the heavens heard the senior officers, the clouds in the sky broke apart, letting moonlight through. In the distance, we could see a large structure rising out of the forest. The decision was made for us to make camp at the ruins.

* * *

"We embark four hours before sunrise. We'll take turns to keep watch, so you cadets get some rest now."

Christa looks up to Gengar questionably. "Um... if the Wall hasn't actually been breached, then how are the Titans getting in? Perhaps the situation isn't as bad as we first feared."

"You could be right," Nanaba responds. "Titan numbers are low. At least compared to what you'd expect if there was a hole in the Wall."

"We'll figure that out tomorrow. For now, focus on getting some rest."

"How are you holding up, Joshua?: Reiner asks. "You've been all over the place, right? You must be fit to drop."

"Yeah, you'd think so." I stretch my arms out, proving that I'm not tired yet. I left Stohess early in the morning and hadn't had a good moment to relax until now. That doesn't count yesterday's battle in the district, to which wounds I still have. "I'm still good to go."

"Wow, you're amazing!" Christa exclaims. "I wish I had your stamina."

"Let's share more information before we get some shut-eye. If I remember correctly, you have a report from the Commander for us, don't you?"

I've totally forgotten about that report, and thinking about it sours my mood. How am I supposed to tell the others the truth of the Female Titan? "Right…" I drop my head to my knees, trying to figure out just how to report this to the others. "The good news is that, in Stohess, we captured the human inside the Female Titan. Well' I wouldn't say 'captured', but we got her."

"Really?"

"Is that so?"

"Amazing!"

"..."

"..."

"What's the bad news?"

"Stohess took lots of casualties. We weren't able to capture her before she transformed, and Eren had some difficulty transforming himself. Then, of course, you got two intelligent Titans fighting in a city. Guess it was bound to happen."

"But if you did confront the Female Titan in her human form," Ymir says, "you knew who she was, didn't you?"

I nod slowly. "Yes,"

"Who?"

I look to the fire we built up, desperately not wanting to answer that question. In the heat of the moment, yes, I wanted her dead. She was a traitor if she could be considered as such. She betrayed not humanity, but also our trust. But now...it hurts to think of her that way, knowing that she was someone I admired and looked up to. But they are waiting...and unfortunately, I must deliver. "The Female Titan...was Annie."

"What?"

"Is that so?"

"No way!"

"..."

"..."

"Yes. Despite how sure I was it was her, I didn't want to believe it either. But when she transformed… She's being kept in a secret place. I haven't seen her since." I don't know why I lied, but for some reason, telling the others we succeeded sounds better than "Oh, she got away from us." It won't serve me good in the end, will it? I look around, seeing Conny's and Christa's disbelieving faces, Bertholdt's in sheer pain, Reiner's in a hardened frown, and Ymir...is Ymir. She simply looks to the fire. Lying to my friends...not that it will change anything. We'll never see Annie Leonhart again.

"Why were we kept in the dark?" Conny asks. "You, Jean, Mikasa, and Armin got to go, but nor the rest of us."

"Because the four of us were cleared of suspicion of colluding with Annie. Being she is of the 104th, it would make sense she had allies in the same class."

Nanaba nods. "That's the real reason we kept watch over you."

Christa shakes her head. "But there's no way any of us are shifters like Annie and Eren."

"I know that. Annie talked to no one in particular. There's no way one of you guys are the Colossal and Armored Titans." We sit around in uncomfortable silence, trying to make sense of the situation. I truly believe that no one here is an ally of Annie, but they're out here somewhere. We must find those two bastards. I still have to make the Armored one suffer.

"Hey Conny," Ymir says to break the silence, "how was your hometown, by the way?"

Now it is Conny's turn to feel down. "Devastated. The Titans trampled everything."

"Oh… I'm sorry." Ymir...being nice to Conny? I remember a month ago in Trost, they butt heads every second of the way, annoying me and Christa to no end. Maybe they've secretly become friends.

"Yeah, but luckily it looks like everyone managed to get away. There was this Titan lying over the ruins of my old house, though. It was immobile, and for some reason, it looked like it had chosen that spot to rest. It...looked a bit like my mom."

Reiner sighs. "Conny, you're not bringing that up again, are you?"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Forget what I said of Ymir and Conny, she's having a good laugh out of this. "Your mom's a Titan, Conny? Wow, I didn't know! How come you're such a shrimp then, huh?"

Conny places his head in his right hand, too tired to yell at Ymir. "Shut up, Ymir. This isn't a joke."

"Wait, if your mom was a Titan, then was your dad a Titan, too. Otherwise, they couldn't have...you know… Could they?"

"I said shut up already! Argh!"

I sigh. "Ymir, Titans don't reproduce that way."

"This isn't supposed to be a Titan biology lesson."

"Yeah, so just shut up, Ymir! Seriously!"

"Okay," Nanaba says as she stands up, "I think that's enough chat for one evening. Now get some rest, you guys." Gelgar and the senior Scouts rise with Nanaba and leave the chamber within the castle's interior to us cadets. We ourselves begin to drift apart from each other, yet Conny lingers in place. Feeling bad for the kid, I walk over.

"Conny."

"Just forget I said that. You must think I'm crazy, too."

I shake my head. "Not at all. There are more crazy things I've seen in the last twenty-four hours." _I doubt things will not get any crazier..._

* * *

"Everyone wake up! Get to the tower! Quickly!" We quickly rose from our sleep to our feet (except for Christa, she was out) and rushed up the tower. As we got to the top of the tower, we could hear loud noises coming from below. Loud, _impossible_ noises. "I couldn't see them in the darkness, but then the moon…"

I blink six times, five to make sure I'm not dreaming, the sixth to make sure I'm seeing this right, that we are not surrounded by active Titans at night. But we are. "No fucking way."

"Why? Why can they move? It's been so long since the sun set!"

"What's going on here?" Christa ponders softly.

"Hey! Look at that!" Conny points to the side, where an enormous, hairy, long-armed monstrosity of a Titan casually walks past. "It's huge! What the hell is it? A Titan? No, it's more like… It's like a beast! Right?" Not believing it myself, I take a glance to Reiner, Bertholdt, and Ymir, the boys looking like they've seen a ghost while Ymir is...Ymir. "It's… headed for the Wall!"

I turn back to the beast Titan. "No way! It's gonna...no." _It can't break the Wall like this, can it? There are Titans within...there was never a breach, or at least there isn't one close by. But if there isn't one at all... Then how the hell the Titans get in?_

"Hey, wait! Wait, wait, wait up! Don't you be coming up here!" Titans try to ascend the tower, try to push it over, and try to enter to door to the interior. If we wanted to leave or hide, we're trapped on all sides. No wonder Gelgar is freaking out. "You're fricking kidding me. Gotta be fricking kidding me. I'd be drinking right now if it wasn't for you! This is all your fault!" He draws his blades and the other senior Scouts rush in behind him. We have no choice now but to fight the Titans off.

"Stand back, rookies," Nanaba says before she turns to me. "Not you, though. You're gonna put that ODM gear to good use."

"Okay."

"Let's go!" The Scouts run ahead and jump off the tower. Drawing my blades, I turn to my friends, nodding silently to them. My eyes then cut to Rose, where the Beast Titan, as I will call it, now perches himself. He's not an Abnormal Titan… Like Eren, Annie, the Colossal and the Armored, he's a human shifter. He's an enemy. But unlike Annie, I had no fear or guilt in killing this one. "You guys... Stay safe."

"You too, Joshua," Christa says.

Conny gives me a thumbs up. "You better come back alive."

The others silently nod, to which I smile. _Sounds like Sasha and the gang. _"You know it." Drawing my blades, I leap off the top of the castle and make my descent into battle. There's only a few of us, but we'll have to make do and hold out. Hopefully...we'll get reinforcements.

_"And hopefully, we make it out okay."_


	17. The Breach: Late Night Defense

"Let's start with the Titans around the tower. Sorry to put you in this position, Joshua, but I'm counting on you!"

"Okay!"

"Damn those things! Let's get this over with!"

Five Scouts versus a numerous amount of Titans, what could possibly go wrong?

I watch as Gelgar and Nanaba take down a Titan together, a big one that lands on three smaller Titans heading for the tower's door. A lot could go wrong, but as long as we protect the inside, we shall be fine. For now, I concentrate on eliminating the Titans around the tower.

However, even with adrenaline pumping in my arteries and veins, I was getting tired and the number of Titans were not stopping. After felling my sixth Titan, I retreat to the tower's wall beside Nanaba and Gelgar, pointing to the north. "More are coming from the north."

Gelgar sighs. Can't we at least have a chance to catch our breath?"

I look up at the tower's top for my friends. "Where are the other cadets?"

"Inside," Nanaba says. "Some have entered the tower."

"What? Then I should go help them."

"You can help them out here. They're soldiers too, you know. Besides, your group of friends seems to be somewhat special."

"What makes you say that?" As I say that, I see a Titan falling out a window...or more like tossed out. Swinging around, I see Reiner holding his right arm, Conny with a bloody knife, and everyone else looking in awe. "Did you guys…"

"Yeah," Conny says.

"...Hurry up and barricade that door."

* * *

_Minutes later, within Castle Utgard_

"What will we do if another comes through?" Conny wonders as he hammers down one of the wooden poles leaning against the door with a brick. "We won't be lucky to kill a second one."

"Yeah," Bertholdt responds as he looks to the wounded Reiner being treated by Christa. "I'm with you there."

Reiner grunts as Christa pours alcohol on his wound to sterilize it. "Sorry… I'm sorry. I think it's broken."

"Yeah, just my luck."

"We'll need a splint and a bandage... I know." Christa stands up and begins ripping the bottom of her skirt, much to Reiner's embarrassment. She sits back down and begins wrapping it around Reiner's arm. "Sorry. All I've got is this dirty cloth. Sorry."

"No. It helps." _Gotta marry her before Jean or Joshua._

Conny walks beside Ymir and Bertholdt, overlooking Reiner's medical tending. "Are you all right, Reiner?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"By the way, Christa. My hand got scraped up a bit, too."

"Huh? Just spit on it or something." Conny and Ymir share an animosity-filled glare before the boy faces Reiner again. "Sorry about that, Reiner. It seems like you're always saving my ass. Speaking of which, Annie risked her life to save me, too, not that it matters anymore. I'm sure Joshua is fed up with having to do so as well. I gotta pay you back sometime."

"Not really. It's… It's the normal thing to do. Because we're soldiers."

"I'm not so sure about that. I doubt I could ever be that brave. Hey, Bertholdt. Has Reiner always been like this?"

Bertholdt looks away. "No. In the past, Reiner was more of a warrior. Unlike now."

Reiner looks to the glare Bertholdt gives him. "What's that mean? Wha do you mean by warrior?"

Before Bertholdt can explain, Ymir interrupts as she walks up the stairs. "For now, let's try to gather anything useful we can find. That way when we die, we can do so without regrets." She climbs up and leans out the window to see the battlefield. The Scouts, Joshua included, have made a mess around the tower. "That's the Scouts for you. They're on a different level from the other soldiers. Even you, Joshua."

* * *

"Ha!" Jumping off a big Titan's nape, I retreat back to the tower, breathing heavily as the blood of the Titans evaporate off my skin and clothes. Gelgar and Nanaba land close by, regrouping for a brief breather. "How are we doing?"

"We've taken care of most of the big ones."

"It's thanks to the tower. We don't often get to fight in such favorable conditions."

"Yeah. I think we're gonna pull through this."

The other two Scouts comes to us. "We'll go check on the recruits!"

Nanaba nods. "Okay."

"What's that sound?" Gelgar looks around, seemingly alarmed by something other than the Titans below us. Nanaba is next, then so am I. There's a weird sound, much like a large projectile flying through the air. _Boom! _We look off to the side to see part of the castle suddenly destroyed. We gasp as we see it is the stable where the horses were housing for the night. The horses themselves are dead.

_Where did that come from? _We hear the same sound again, resulting in the same sound of breaking rubble. However, this time it comes from above. Those other Scouts...they were heading up to the top!

"Lynne! Henning!" Their bodies fall down with the stone bricks of the castle, and we retreat up to the top of the castle. Gelgar and Nanaba catch the fallen's bodies while I'm greeted by Conny and the rest of the 104th.

"What was that?"

"It's no use," Gelgar mournfully says as he and Nanaba lay down their comrade's bodies. "They died instantly."

"This can't be."

"It's him. The one that walked off towards the Wall! That Beast Titan did it." As Conny walks to the tower's edge, I stare at the Beast Titan, having already figured out who's responsible for the flying projectiles. It makes me furious we can't get close to him. "A group of Titans approaching! More than twice the number from earlier."

"What'd you say?"

"Their timing is too perfect like it's part of some strategy. I have a feeling they've been toying with us from the start."

"And their ringleader," I say as my ears are pounded by the Beast Titan's roar, "is that piece of shit over there." The Titans below, in response to the roar, begin to charge the tower, ramming into it. At this point, I watch as the Beast Titan disappears over Wall Rose, back to the territory between Rose and Maria. For what purpose was it over here for? Did it succeed? Did it fail?

It doesn't matter right now. I rejoin Gelgar and Nanaba in the defense of the castle.

* * *

I duck from under a blond Titan's arms to his back, fire my hooks at his nape. "Don't touch me!" As I burst forward, one of his friends raise its arms up and tries to snatch me with its mouth. At the last second, I divert my flight up, reattaching to the tower and getting out of reach. That was close. Looking down, I see Nanaba and Gelgar take down my initial target before joining me up on the tower. I think we've come to terms with the fact that now, even if we were the most skilled soldiers in the world, defending Castle Utgard is near impossible.

"This tower's not going to hold," Gelgar says.

"I have a small amount of gas left. What about you?"

"No has here, and I used up all of my blades. Those blunt ones the last you have left?"

"Yeah. Joshua, what about you?"

I tap my tanks. "I'm running low myself, and only have one set of fresh blades."

"How many did the five of us kill?"

"I don't know. I didn't have the luxury to count."

"Well, I don't think I did too badly, all things considered. But the thing is… I wish I could have a drink before I go."

Nanaba and I turn to Gelgar. "Gelgar…"

His body slumps down. "Sorry, Nanaba… I must've hit my head. I can't hold...any longer." His hooks disconnect from the tower and Gelgar free falls down into a Titan's hand. Nanaba flies down after him, breaking her blades just to cut the Titan's nape. I descend as well, but before I could make a move, the large Titan I target grabs me tightly.

"GaaaAAAAAAHHHH!" I feel my bones popping in ways I do not think is healthy, Outside, I hear the cries of Nanaba and Gelgar. _Did she not save him? Did she herself get caught? That means….no. Is this it for me? Is this...how I die? Caught in the smelly hand of some Titan? Is this...meaning I'll see them again? Mom? Dad? Am I coming home now? Thomas? Mina? Marco? Will I see you guys again?_

_At the epicenter of the cloud stands a figure, one of Titan size, but its behavior and appearance are atypical. In the brief glimpse I get of it, I can see blonde short hair, an armor-like body, and eyes that flashed red in the cloud of dust. _

The Armored Titan… I swore to kill him. That has been my purpose for five years.

_I reach up to her shoulder, Mikasa looking back uncomfortable but not denying. I smile warmly for a second before I address everyone. "We might not be able to get them back, but we will avenge them. My parents, Eren's mother, Armin's grandfather, everyone we cared about, we will carry them in our hearts into battle. We will take back what's ours." I let go of Mikasa and face forward, looking up to the starry sky that is bordered by the Wall Rose in the Trost District. We have hope, vengeance, and desire in our veins...and I'm glad to know I'll have the three people I trust most by my side._

Mikasa, Eren, and Armin… The only three people I have from my past… Without them, I wouldn't be here today.

_I look away from the elder Brauss to his daughter. "She was the first friend I made outside of Shiganshina on our first day of training, as I was to her. The last three years, it has been so that I have always been there for her while I've also attended to other trainees. But… Ever since I lost two people close to me, I've realized I haven't lost the person I've known since day one."_

_She looks to me with a smile of her own. "I promise I'll repay you for everything. Just not with food. So don't die out there, okay? Promise!"_

_I give her a thumbs up. "I promise Sasha Brauss, that I will not die out there. Even if I'm separated in pieces, I shall persist." I lean over on my horse to hug her, but in the middle of it, something...unexpected happens. Sasha pulls away, her face red as an apple._

_"I...um… I'll see you later! Ha!"_

Sasha… I have a promise to keep to you...and a question to ask…

_"You guys... Stay safe."_

_"You too, Joshua," Christa says._

_Conny gives me a thumbs up. "You better come back alive." _

_The others silently nod, to which I smile._

And someone has to protect my friends. "ARRRRRRYAH!" Despite the pain I'm in, I manage to swing my blades, cutting the Titan's fingers. Freed, I zip up to the tower's top, nearly landing on Christa and Conny before rolling on my back. "Ow…"

"Joshua!"

"Hey, I think he's still alive!"

I raise my hand up to wave. "You sound so happy, Ymir."

Christa kneels beside me, holding my shoulder. "Thank goodness! How are you?"

I chuckle, though it hurt. I hope I didn't break anything. "I think I'll stay right here for a minute… Nanaba, Gelgar? Are they..."

Conny shakes his head. "The others… The officers have all been killed." Angry, Christa picks up a rock and throws it down at the Titans, just for Ymir to push her back.

"Get back, Christa. The tower is about to collapse. You'll fall."

"But they're being killed! And we're just standing here! Nanaba… And Gelgar…"

I can hear their cries from my prone position, and it is too much for me to bear. For the second time this week, I feel powerless, but this time, I am indeed unable to fight. I tighten both my fists in anger and sadness, cursing myself for not being strong enough. "Damn, damn, damn!"

Conny sits down with his back against the tower wall, smacking his fist against it. "Damn it all to hell! Hey… Do we gotta wait here now until the tower falls and we get eaten alive? Is there nothing we can do about it? This sucks. We'll be wiped out without even finishing our mission."

I stand up against my body's will, making it between Christa and Conny. Gritting my teeth, I look down on the bastards below us. "I'm not dead yet. My mission...I must see it through."

Christa nods. "I...want to keep fighting, too. If only I had some sort of weapon, then I could fight and die alongside them."

"Christa… You're still saying things like that?" We look to Ymir, her face sharp with seriousness. "Don't you dare use their deaths. They didn't die so you'd have an excuse to get yourself killed."

"That's not… That's not what I-"

"You're not like Conny, Joshua and the Scouts! They don't want to die, but you don't even care. All you want to do is die in a way that makes you seem like a hero."

"Th-That's not-"

"Conny, give me that knife you had."

"Huh? My knife?"

Ymir stands over him, reaching her hand out. "Just give it to me."

"Fine. Here."

Ymir pats Conny on the head. "Thanks."

He swats her arm away. "What do you want it for?"

"Hmm? Well, you see… I'm going to fight with this."

"Ymir," Reiner says with about an equal amount of surprise as the rest of us. There's no way she's serious, right? "What are you planning?"

"Who knows? I don't even know myself." She walks away from the others, back to Christa and I.

"Ymir…"

"Christa." Ymir grabs Christa's shoulders. "You've probably forgotten all about it by now…" A crash shakes the top of the tower, even making Ymir looks aa bit nervous. "But this might be the end, so… Try to remember...that promise we made training on that snowy mountain." Ah yes, that mountain. I do not remember the reason we went there, but we nearly got caught in a blizzard trying to get to shelter. Ymir, Christa, and Daz were still out there when most of us arrived, and in hopes of finding them, we searched. Luckily, everything turned out okay. "I have no right to tell you how to live your life. So, actually, this is nothing more than a hope of mine. I want you...to live a life you're proud of." Ymir's face glows with the light of the rising sun as she steps away from Christa. She then turns to me with probably the first genuine smile she ever gave me. "Sucks we might never get to have our planned fun, huh?"

Any other day, I might laugh, but not knowing what Ymir is planning (plus the present situation) has my humor turned off. "Ymir…"

"Joshua… Do you remember what I told you on Trost?"

_I turn to Ymir, who still stays away from me, but unlike as she will with others, she doesn't keep Christa away or tries to mess with her. "Ymir. Do you still stand by what you told me? That. in the end, we're just fodder for the Titans?"_

_Ymir closes her eyes. "Do you still believe we can overcome them?"_

_"Yes, I do, but-"_

_"Then believe in that. Many of us are going to die in this fight anyway, probably all of us, but the day we are truly defeated is when the last person changes his belief. Plus, after all you've done today, I know you won't give up. Knowing you, you'll attack a horde of Titans yourself."_

_I turn away from Ymir. "I'm not that stupid."_

_"But if it was to protect Mina, Thomas, Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Christa or any of us, you would do so. That's who you are… A leader. A warrior. An inspiration. A hero. Heroes are stupid...but never die, do they?"_

"Yes, I do."

"I'm going to prove myself right. But can I ask you one thing, for me?"

"Sure."

"When the time comes...Protect Christa, okay? Can you do that? Shush, I know you can." She turns around again to Christa, tapping the tip of the knife. "Remember our promise, Christa." Ymir runs towards the tower's edge, just out of Christa's desperate reach. She leaps off, much to my surprise, and I prepare to make the jump to catch her.

"Ymir!"

She swipes the knife against her right palm, blood spilling in the air. For a split second, the air changes, and by this point, I'm quite familiar with that change. _No…_ Yellow light surrounds Ymir as her descent continues. A roar erupts from the ball as light becomes muscles, tendons, skin...a Titan..


	18. The Breach: Ymir Fritz

**We're so close to my favorite part of the season. I believe it is most people's favorite moment, especially for us who only watch the anime, but yes, the second half of Season 2 is the best part of it. **

**I've finished writing all of Season 2, won't start the third until August as we now deviate from the game fully. How we integrate the main protagonist into the story is now the challenge, especially with the first half of Season 3 being "Attack on the Government" so there might be a short break of updates between chapters 23 and 24.**

**Back at Utgard Castle, Joshua is the last surviving armed Scout, but with his equipment wearing out and a shirt brush with death, his only hope to protect his friends is...Ymir? Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

_Years ago_

"Thought we were gonna die out there. No one ever said winter training would be tough."

"Damn it, I can't feel my legs."

"I wish they'd let us inside already."

I shiver in my seated position beside Eren, listening to him, Jean and Conny rightfully complain of this stupid training session we're being put through on a fucking snowy mountain. I swear on my clattering teeth I'm going to punch Sadies in the face. "I don't think I can feel anything below the waist. Is this what being a woman is like? Just...an empty space between the legs?"

Mikasa looks down at me with mild disgust. "Is that what you're thinking about right now, Joshua?"

I look at Mikasa for a few seconds, like really look at her, like the way Eren should be, the way Jean does but no reaction works. Oh well, there's goes my manhood before I'm eighteen. "Shut up, Mikasa. You wouldn't know the difference. Why are they keeping us outside?"

Sasha's face is the only one that looks warm. "I bet they're busy putting together a huge feast for us! Yum…" That'll be nice, right?

"Hey!" We look to Reiner walking over to us, his face alarmed. "Christa is missing."

"Huh?"

"She was sticking with Daz since he wasn't doing so well,"

"That waste of space? Where is he?"

"Daz isn't here either. Ymir as well."

"Maybe they're with the last squad?"

"Can't be. The last squad, led by Thomas, just arrived. They never saw those three." I look over to Thomas and his squadron. They're the last? Shit.

"You don't think... they got lost?"

"Hey… They don't stand a chance if they're stuck in this blizzard."

"Shit." Eren stands up and I know exactly what he's thinking. It's crazy, dangerous even...but for once, it's out of the question of if it is the right thing to do.

"Eren!" Mikasa grabs Eren's wrist, but he pulls away.

"I'm going back out to try and find them!"

Marco nods. "Me, too!"

I stand up, stretching my arms. "Just for Christa and Ymir, I'll go. Daz can freeze his useless balls out there."

Just as we were getting together, one of the senior officers comes to us. "Everyone, inside the cabin."

Eren gasps. "But… Christa and-"

"Yeah. We'll send a rescue team first thing in the morning."

"It'll be too late by then!"

"We won't make any more victims!" A chilly wind speeds through, killing the fire and rocking the windows of the cabin. Initially, I was with Eren, but...this chill will kill us before we find Christa's team and make it back. SIghing, I hold one of Eren's shoulders, shaking my head sorrowfully.

He sighs as well. "Shit."

* * *

_Present_

"What the hell?" I wipe my eyes, trying to wrap my head around what I'm seeing. Ymir jumped off the tower, the lightning thing happened, then...small Titan with big head starts snatching napes with its mouth. I believe I'm thinking straight...Ymir is a Titan?

"Is this real? Ymir is a Titan, too?"

Okay, Conny sees this too. "Yeah."

"Th-That Titan is…"

"...from that day…" I hear Reiner and Bertholdt talking behind me, but before I could ask what they're talking about, Christa nearly falls over the tower's top, saved only by Reiner's quick grabbing of her lower leg. Conny and I turn around quickly for obvious reasons (she's wearing a dress) but Reiner seems to be out of it. Christa's pleas for Reiner to let go, but it doesn't register with him.

"Reiner, you're hurting Christa." That wakes him as he gasps and sets Christa down.

"S-Sorry."

"No, you saved me."

"Christa… Did you know? That Ymir is a Titan?"

She turns away to the battle below. "I had no idea. I was always so close to her, too. How? How could this be? That Titan…is Ymir?"

"In other words, she knew some of the secrets of our world. And I never suspected a thing."

"Hey," Conny says. "Do you think she's known about it? Eren's a Titan, but he didn't know until it happened. But Ymir is like…she is aware of being a Titan all along."

"Are you saying she might be an enemy of humanity?"

"I'm saying that's one hell of a power to hide. Who knows what she might have been thinking."

"I wonder… What could be Ymir's goal?"

"That's easy, Bertholdt," I say, banging on the new gas tank I took from one of the dead Scouts. I also replenished my blades. Hate to loot from the dead, but the dead don't need weaponry. "Ymir is not our enemy, for one. I know she doesn't care about anyone but herself...and Christa. For now, she's with us."

"Woah, woah, woah," Conny holds out his hands as I readjust my Scout cloak. "You're not...going back. are you?"

"Yes, I am."

"But you're hurt?"

"But alive." I step up to the edge, seeing Ymir hanging on the tower wall with only her very pointy fingers. Her Titan is a small Titan class, but its agility makes use of the small size. Impressive. "I started this fighting, I'll end it the same way, alive and fighting." Mind you, I am saying this with confidence and resolve, but in reality, I wish my pride would let me stop fighting before I really hurt myself...or worse. Damn you, Ymir, you had to rub your stubbornness on me. I step off, dropping down to land on Ymir's shoulder. I grunt a bit in pain. "Ymir! Wow, this explains why you're so bigheaded. Anyway, I don't understand how the hell you're a Titan, but for now… We got to protect the others. I'll do my best to cover you."

She grunts in understand, then we're off into the fray.

* * *

_Back at the snowy mountainside..._

"It's better if you guys don't come along," Eren says much later after we're ordered inside. He hasn't given up on finding Christa, Ymir, and (unfortunately) Daz, and, it pains me to say this of my best friend, the dumbass wants to go by himself. "Like our instructor said, you'll end up becoming more victims,"

"I'm going so that doesn't happen."

"I'm not leaving Christa and the others."

"The four of us stick together as always, Eren. Even...through the cold." Eren looks back at us, not denying us anymore. But we aren't the only ones following Eren.

"Hey. What do you think you're doing?" We turn back to see Reiner and Bertholdt suited up as we are.

"Don't try to stop-"

"You're gonna need a lot more gear than that."

"If you go by yourselves, you'll be in the same pickle as Christa."

"In a search, the more eyes, the better."

"You guys... Thanks. To be honest, we could use you.":

"Hey, we're coming too." Conny, Marco, and Sasha join us, surprisingly without Horse Face in tow.

"The weather's steadily improving. I think we'll be fine."

"I brought extra rations!"

I smile at Sasha. "Did you bring extra rations or find them somewhere?"

She smiles. "Does it matter?"

"You guys…" Eren starts off but a noise interrupts him. Concerned, we all look to the door.

"What was that sound just now?" Ignoring Armin, we follow Eren out the cabin back outside. With visibility still bad, we can at least see for a mile or so, proven by Sasha's call from behind me.

"Somebody's coming!" In the distance, I see lantern light. Taking initiative, I run out to the light, followed by the other boys. As we get close, we see exactly who it is: Ymir, dragging a planked Daz, with no Christa in sight.

"Ymir! Guys, get Daz." I almost couldn't believe I said that but now that he made it here, might as well keep him alive. While Eren and the others hoist Daz's body back to the cabins, I walk with Ymir back, my only concern being that of Christa's whereabouts. "Christa?"

"She'll be here, don't worry."

"You sound so sure."

"Hmph, when am I not?"

Now at the fence bordering the cabins, I lean on them, narrowing my eyes at the narrowed-eyed girl. "I know you too well, Ymir. You did something, did you?"

She sighs but waits for the others to be out of earshot before sitting down in the snow and continuing. "If you say so. But I swear, she'll be here. I'll wait right here for her, won't come inside until she does."

"Hmph." I sit down beside her, folding my arms and closing my eyes. I don't know what Ymir did, but… I know that she is right, Christa is coming. "Guess I'll keep you company."

"You think you're doing me a favor?"

"You owe me plenty, after what you had me go through."

"I saved your hide because you were late for training. Far as I can tell, you helping me feed hungry kids, doing most of the work on a mission, and protecting Christa evened us out as we agreed."

Yes, we're _so_ even. "Then you had me fetch water. As a favor. But no, this is not a favor. Just me being nice."

Ymir scoffs as she waggles a finger in my face. "No, that's not it… Ah, I see. You like being around me, don't you? Or, just like me? Hahaha, that's it!" She uses the finger to turn my expressionless face to hers, dangerously close that the only heat I feel is her breath.

"I wish I lived in your delusions, Ymir."

"Oh really? How deluded can I be when I know I'm right? Tell you what...one day, I'll do you a _favor_…however, you want to interpret that...and you promise me a favor."

Too bad my body is against my mind at this suggestion or else I wouldn't entertain it. "What do you want?"

She releases me from her holding, turning to the snowy fields outside the forest. "When a time comes when I am unable to watch over Christa, I want you to be there for her. I know it sounds crazy, but...something tells me I can trust you on that."

I scoff. "So when you're done treating Christa like royalty, you want me to? Fine...though I think you're getting the short end of the stick."

Ymir chuckles. "Am I now? That's disappointing, but I guess I can live with another disappointment in my life."

I stand up, deciding I had enough of Ymir being Ymir. "...That's not what I meant, you bitch."

* * *

_Ymir_

_Christa, I felt the same, that it would have been better had I not been born at all. I was hated by the world just for existing. I...to give countless people joy, I gave up my life. But from that time, there was a wish I held in my heart. If someday, I was given a second chance at life...this time...I would live for no one but myself!_

Joshua retreats back up to the tower's top, his gas tanks nearly empty again. He was of some help, but the Titans...there's too many for him to fight with the omni-directional gear. Hell, too many for me to take on with my own Titan. But the boy...he did well.

Dumb bastard always trying to protect others at the cost of his own life, I think he rubbed off on me a bit. Now I'm doing my best to not have the tower Christa and the others on topple over. It's safe to say Joshua won't be coming back for a while.

One of these nasty brutes grabs my hair, then another my waist and arms. Shit, they got me. Christa… I did my best… "Don't you die, Ymir! Not in a place like this!" Christa? I look up to see the younger girl standing on the edge of the tower, Conny desperately holding on to her. What is she doing?

"Don't pretend you're good, you idiot! You wanna go out in a blaze of glory? Are you stupid? It's too late for you to try and get into heaven! Live for yourself, goddammit! If you're gonna doe protecting this tower, forget about it! Tear it down!"

_Tear it down? Hmph. _I free myself and jump for the tower, removing stone brick after stone brick from it and throwing it at the Titans below. The tower begins to fall over, so I rush up to the others "If you want to live, grab me!" Or, what actually my Titan said, "Want live? Grab me!" The same thing, is it not?" The five humans grab hold of my hair as I climb to the safer side of the tower. It falls on the Titans below. Myself now on the ground, the others release me to examine the destruction themselves.

That peace doesn't last long. The Titans sprout from the rubble like a sapling out the earth. I manage to take one out, but another grabs my hair and slams me in the ground. Dazed and wounded, I am unable to defend myself as the Titans jump on me, ripping my Titan apart with their mouths and hands. Inside, I slowly accept my fate, closing my eyes to receive the death I must possibly deserve. _Heh… You told me not to die in a blaze of glory, didn't you, Christa? Is this better?_

"Ymir...wait! I still want to talk to you! I still haven't told you my real name!"

_Your real name?_

* * *

_Joshua_

"Christa!" Damn my negligence! Not sure how much gas I have in this third set, I stupidly run after Christa before the Titan in front of her grabs and eats her. Damn myself if I fail Ymir now, after all she's done. I do not forget a promise.

But it seems my promise is still active. Before I can reach Christa, blood spills from the Titan's nape in the air. Above, a flash of green lands on some rubble, pausing my advance. That figure stands up, speaking in a voice I've been familiar with for five years. "Christa. Everyone, get back. We got this. Leave the rest to us."

"Mikasa!" Above her, the Scouts fly in heroically, eliminating the Titans before they realize what's going on. I chuckle almost maniacally. "We're saved."

Mikasa looks to me. "You're not going to help?"

"What do you think I've been doing all night, Mikasa? Your turn!"

She turns away, but her prideful tone annoys me. "Fine. I thought you wouldn't let me hog the glory." She flies off, but her words get under my skin. Damn you, Ackermann

"Do your best to stay out the way, everyone."

* * *

Within fifteen minutes, the Titans were routed. Completely drained of energy, I lean on Mikasa for support as we stand behind Hange and Christa. I can't believe we survived...how long was I fighting? Hours? It felt like days. We lost Nanaba, Gelgar, Henning, and Lynne, Reiner injured his arm, I probably have bruises myself and Ymir...her secret is revealed.

"It can't be… Ymir is…"

"Catch up, Armin, and accept the truth. She's like Eren."

"Ymir…" Up ahead, Christa holds Ymir's wounded body. Remembering just how Eren somehow made it alive back in Trost, it doesn't surprise me Ymir is still alive. It does surprise me when I see Ymir's normally condescending brown eyes open again, but this time...there's a much different emotion in them. Or maybe not one at all. Only Christa knows as she continues talking to Ymir. "My real name is Historia." Ymir says nothing back but leaves a smile as her eyes close again.

"Historia," I say softly for the first time. We have many questions about the name, but for now...I just want to sleep.

It is the least I can do before a betrayal...


	19. Betrayal: Vogel im Käfig

**Here, the world of the 104th comes crashing down, especially that of the protagonist of this story. Now to the betrayal that shook me when I saw it. I did not expect it to happen, and as you will see here, the way it comes to the limelight is much more casual than other betrayals. It starts as a simple conversation that gets shafted by other conversations, so I tried recreating that moment again.**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_Wall Rose_

"So that's what happened. And you say...another Titan shifter?"

I nod. As the Scouts hoists ourselves up to the top of Wall Rose, I report tonight's events to Hange. I did manage to catch a little shut-eye, so with the little rest I've managed, I feel somewhat better. "Yeah. Conny coined him 'Beast Titan' due to his appearance."

"Hmm. What do you make of Ymir?"

"She's not our enemy, but I doubt she'll be our ally. She hid this secret for years, even when Eren shifted in Trost. Whatever secrets she has… Maybe we'll find out more from her later."

"Please, believe us!" We turn to Christa, who Hange was interrogating before I stepped over. "I'm telling the truth! Ymir transformed into a Titan to fight off the other Titans and save us! She did so with no regard for her own life, which proves her loyalty to us, her comrades! It's true that her judgment until now is forgivable. After all, she may know things useful to humanity and yet she kept quiet about it! I imagine she didn't say anything in order to protect herself. But...now she's a changed person! Ymir is an ally of humanity! I know Ymir better than anybody. She's a much simpler person than she looks."

Hange lowers her head. "I see. Obviously, I hope we can build a trusting relationship with her. Her judgment aside, the information she holds is a treasure for humanity. I hope we get along. But you know..." Hange steps aside, walking over to Ymir's lain body, "even if she is a simple person, this world becomes more of a confusing mess with every passing day… You said… Your real name was Historia Reiss?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Reiss, as in that noble family?"

"Yes."

"I see." Hange turns around, placing a hand on Christa's… Historia's shoulder. "Nice to meet you, Historia."

"Yeah." I am now coming to terms that I've joked about Ymir treating Christa...Historia like a princess when indeed Historia is noble by blood. I'm not totally sure myself, but isn't the king named Reiss as well? That makes Historia a princess, right?

"How's Ymir?" Hange asks the Scouts around her as we arrive. Historia kneels beside her friend while I stand between Hange and Moblit.

"She's still in a coma. Her bleeding has stopped, and we think steam is coming out of her wounds."

I nod. "She'll be alright then, eventually."

"For now, take her back to Trost so she can get some proper medical care. She's in your hand."

"Understood."

"Now then…" Hange turns back around, Moblit and I following her. With Ymir situated, I'm sure we're back to the real reason we're here. "Our original mission was to seal this wall."

"We didn't see a breach along the southwestern side, Gelgar's team reported similarly. Then again, we were losing light at the time. It could be that we missed it due to the cloud cover."

"We'll find it, Joshua."

"Yes, ma'am." Despite Hange's reassurance, I still did not feel right. The number of Titans we fought supports the notion that there's a breach, but...That was just at one location, and they weren't that numerous when we got to Utgard.

"Is everyone clear?" Hange asks of my fellow cadets as we approach Mikasa, Sasha, and Conny. "We'll deal with Ymir later. And Conny, I'll arrange for a Scout squad to investigate your village later. For the time being, I want you to focus on the mission to fix the wall. Got it?"

"Got it!"

As Hange continues to speak to us, I turn to the other redhead nearby. She manages to keep her eyes away from me, so I step beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey."

"Hey."

"I kept my promise, barely, but I did."

She sidesteps a bit closer, our arms brushing against each other. "Thank you."

* * *

"There's no hole anywhere!" We look down to Hannes in complete and utter shock. Even with my internal hunch, I was hoping to be completely wrong. "We spent all night looking for it, but at least between Trost and Krolva district, there's nothing wrong with the Wall."

"What'd you say?"

"We bumped into soldiers from Krolva and retraced our steps. We haven't seen any Titans the whole way here."

"But...we know for sure there's Titan's on this side of the Wall."

"Did you actually look? Are you sure you're not drunk?"

"I didn't drink! Wait, why are all of you here anyway?"

Hange turns to the assembled Scouts, a finger resting on her chin. "If there's no hole in the Wall, so be it. For now, we're falling back to Trost District!"  
_So there really is no hole...but how does that explain the Titan presence? _I stand in place alongside Sasha with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin as they huddle around Hannes. Like me, I'm sure they're trying to wrap their minds to the truth.

"Whatever you do, don't let your guard down. We're going back ahead of you." He drops off the Wall and departs, leaving the four of us in a daze.

"There's nothing wrong with the Wall?"

Armin steps off, his mind churning. "There's been nothing like this in five years. Why is it all happening now?"

"This world is getting more and more out of hand." Sasha and Mikasa follow along shortly, but I stand with Eren a moment longer before I gesture to him.

"Come on, before your head explodes from thinking." I catch up to Mikasa, walking beside her as I think about what's happening. Ironically, that makes my head hurt. "I knew there wasn't a breach."

"_Eren, have a minute? We need to talk."_

"How so?"

"Last night, when I was fighting, somehow that idea came to me. The Beast Titan, he climbed the Wall instead of breaking through. Given...other recent information about the Walls, it made sense."

"_Five years ago, we demolished the Wall and began our attack on humanity."_

"Hange told us the Wall is made of that hardened material Annie produced. They have a similar composition."

"_I'm the Armored Titan and he's the Colossal Titan."_

"Then it explains why they never breached the Walls in any case, but the city gates. Maybe the Walls themselves are too hard to break through… Hey, where's Eren?" I notice Mikasa stops moving to look back, so I follow her sight to Eren, Reiner, and Bertholdt conversing behind. I begin to call to them, but then I catch Mikasa's glare silently telling me to be quiet. Confused, I whisper "What for?"

"...Listen."

Sighing, I heed Mikasa's command, tuning in to Reiner. "Our primary goal was to ensure all of humanity was wiped out, but now there's no need for that."

"Uh…"

"Eren, if you agree to come with us, we won't have to destroy any more of the walls. Understand?"

_What? What is...Reiner saying?_

"No, wait! I don't understand at all!"

"I'm saying… Why don't you just come with us? I know this is sudden, but we need to go now."

"Right now? Where will you take me?"

"I can't say that yet. But… Well, it's something like our hometown. So? What will it be, Eren? It's not a bad deal, right? You can easily avert this crisis."

"I wonder about that..." Eren sighs and looks our way. Being just a step in front of her, I can see Mikasa's become near murderous while my own is still confused. Behind me, Armin calls to us to get us moving, yet we stand still.

"Mikasa…"

"Yesterday, Hange gained Annie's records from Sasha and told us that two others came from the same area as she did in the 104th… Reiner and Bertholdt." I gasp softly as I look back to the trio, seeing Eren with his arms fold as he gazes to the sky. There's...no way…Reiner and Bertholdt were from the same place, I knew that, but never has Annie spoken of home. "Do you remember the scouting expedition? Their units were told Eren was in the right-wing, correct?"

"Annie...attacked from the right-wing…There's no way Reiner and Bertholdt are like her in any way. They never talked, never! Hell, she almost killed Reiner! She had him in her ha-"

_Armin continues talking as Reiner engages the female, his hook going straight to her shoulder. Reiner is going for the nape! Idiot! Could he do it while Armin distracts her? Maybe he can...no. At the last second, she spots Reiner flying by her face. And just as quickly, Reiner is grabbed. "Reiner!" He's not completely crushed, but clearly, he's struggling. That's when she places her thumb over his head...then there is blood everywhere._

_But before my body is completely frozen, Reiner returns, bursting out the Titan's like an angry butterfly leaving its cocoon. I gasp in relief as he goes to Armin and picks him up, then I look to the Titan. It looks at its smoldering hand before lowering it, possibly wondering how Reiner escaped. No matter, I get to Jean and start our retreat with Reiner. "I'd say we bought enough time! Now let's get away from her, quick! She doesn't eat people! I don't think she'll follow us!" We run and watch as the Titan stands up, then begins to run in the opposite direction as us. "Look! The giant wench is running home with her tail between her legs!"_

_Something tells me Reiner is wrong. I may have lost my sense of direction due to the fight, but… I fear she's not retreating, but advancing...to Eren._

"_You're just tired, aren't you? Right Bertholdt? You've been through so much it's making you crazy."_

"_R-Right. Reiner's just very tired."_

"After Reiner escaped, Annie looked at her hand for a few moments before setting off for Eren's location in the center. Armin suggested he would be there after Reiner said Eren's in the right flank. There was no way she heard us talk about it, so…" I look to Reiner again, noticing one thing I remembered when identifying Annie and that's similarities between Titan and human. Annie had the same eye color, same hair color, even some facial features. Eren and his Titan share hair (and aggressive nature). So if Reiner is a Titan, which one would he-

_At the epicenter of the cloud stands a figure, one of Titan size, but its behavior and appearance are atypical. In the brief glimpse I get of it, I can see blonde short hair, an armor-like body, and eyes that flashed red in the cloud of dust. It would be a Titan that would haunt my dreams for years, even the name it was given was enough to trigger me._

"Besides, if you were really the Armored Titan that wants to destroy humanity, why would you be asking me this in the first place?"

The short, pale blonde hair. The Armored Titan had hair like that...as does Reiner. I turn away, looking down to my feet, my breathing intensifying. No...for three years...don't tell me...I've known the enemy...called him brother...trusted him with my life. I look to Mikasa, my eyes pleading with her to tell me this is a prank, a joke so we can laugh it off. That's just a coincidence, right? A lot of people have that pale blond color. That's when I realize one fact.

Mikasa, rarely, if ever, tells a joke.

"What did you think would happen? That I'd nod and say 'Sure, let's go'?"

Reiner is silent for a moment as he looks away from Eren, his eyes sinking in his face. "That's right. What the hell was I thinking? Have I really gone crazy?"

Eren turns around to head to us. "Come on, let's go." _Please, come with us, Reiner and Bertholdt. You are not who they think you are._ That's when the wind picks up, fluttering the flags along the wall strongly that one of them manages to snap apart and fall down the wall. The change in the air...the parting of the clouds...the brightening of the sky...all feels deathly familiar. Unconsciously, my hand reaches for my blade, though I barely manage to hold it steady. I'm not the only one; Mikasa, too, shakes, her hand betraying her face.

"I see," Reiner says softly. "That's it. I've been here too long for my own good. It's been three long years surrounded by nothing but idiots. We were just kids… We didn't know anything. If only I never knew that there were people like this, I...wouldn't have become...such a half-assed piece of shit!" Reiner reaches for his sling, taking it off his neck and slowly unwrapping it. "It's too late now. I don't know what's right anymore. But the only choice for me now is to face the consequences of my actions, and as a warrior, fulfill my duty to the bitter end!"

Reiner's arm, the one that was injured, shows the dark veins and arteries that are now around Ymir's head and shoulders, in addition to the steam evaporating from the healing wound. In an instant, those markings vanish. That...proves it...and I snap.

"Reiner! Are we doing it?! Now?! Right here?!" Bertholdt...that makes you the other...the Colossal Titan who started this all…

"Yeah. We settle this...right here, right now!" Reiner steps forward to a puzzled Eren, but he never makes it.

"You son of a bitch!" Blades out, I leap out from behind Eren, severing Reiner's newly healed right arm while Mikasa dashes after me and cut's Bertholdt's throat. My blade stuck in his left arm, Reiner and I share a glance, him knowing why I came for him specifically before he throws me aside and shoves Mikasa off Bertholdt. We land on the side of the Wall, furious. "No!" I push myself back up over the Wall, but I'm already too late.

"Bertholdt!" Yellow light shines around them, as I land behind Eren, the others running up behind me. Reiner's determined face… Bertholdt's pained… Before I could attack again, lightning strikes.

Knocked to my feet, I use my cloak to protect my face from the wind and steam as I see half of Bertholdt's Colossal Titan rise on the Wall, Reiner's Armored Titan standing behind him. Turning my head, I see Eren hanging on the edge of the Wall but suddenly drops. "Eren!" Reflexively, Reiner reaches out, grabbing Eren. At the same time, Bertholdt reaches over us for something.

"Ymir!" _Ymir? _I remember now when Ymir revealed her form, Reiner and Bertholdt...they knew who she was. But why bring her? For her power? I see Reiner leap off the Wall, hearing Armin call for Eren's name. Tears evaporate from my eyes as I look up to Bertholdt, gritting my teeth in an effort to hold in my cries.

* * *

_Three years ago_

We're now outside the camp, walking through the forest. Bertholdt and Reiner take lead while Armin, Eren, and I trek behind them. "There's no shame in caring about your life, Bertholdt," Armin says. "We all do."

I look to Reiner, wondering what his story is. Between the two older kids, he's been very quiet. "Reiner, why did you join?"

"I'm going to return to the home that was taken from me. That's all I care about now. I will do it. No matter what." I hear the conviction in his voice, not too different from mine and Eren's. The three of us want the same thing, to return and take back our homes.

Bertholdt looks about, turning to Eren. "What about you? Why did you sign up?"

Eren frowns initially, but as he speaks his face becomes more and more fierce. "Why'd I join? I decided I have to kill them. I won't stop till every single Titan is dead and rotting. Dead. Every last one."

Reiner and Bertholdt look absolutely flabbergasted, but that's how one would react to Eren's reasoning. Reiner glances at me, silently asking me the same question. I look back with a face similar to Eren. "The Armored Titan. He...killed my parents. Yes, I want to kill all Titans too, but that specific one...I want to be the one to kill him. Eren can have the rest for all I care."

Reiner nods and turns around. As we come to a clearing in the woods, he speaks again. "You saw what those monsters are capable of and you still want to take them on?"

"Damn right," Eren states. "It's just after screwing up the training, I don't know if I'm cut out to be a soldier."

The clouds spread apart in the sky, revealing the full moon. Light hails down on the earth, revealing our location to be on a cliff overlooking lower levels of the forest and a large lake that flows into a river. It is quite a marvelous scene, one I did not know is so close to the camp.

"We'll take it from step one: belt adjustment. By tomorrow, you'll be an expert. I know you've got what it takes. I can see it in you. Am I wrong here?"

Eren looks back at Reiner, smiling in happiness that the older boy will help. "No! I won't fail. Thank you, Reiner." Reiner smiles back, then looks for a short but noticeable moment at me before turning back to the scenery below us.

* * *

_Reiner...that day, you knew from that moment onward that we were enemies. But you covered it with friendship, with brotherhood...and so did you, Bertholdt. Annie's betrayal hurt differently. We knew her, but you two...we believed in you. _I wipe away my tears as the force of the Colossal Titan's steam begins to wear off. Several hundred meters between me and Bertholdt...fine then.

To my right, another flash of lightning, then the familiar roar of Eren's Titan. I stand up, staring up to Bertholdt with a raging, murderous determination. He had the nerve to cry...so be it, I'll make him cry.

_Reiner… Bertholdt… I will kill you both… You damn traitors!_


	20. Betrayal: We're Chasing After Eren Again

**Welcome to the 20th chapter of Vengeance of a Human. In this chapter, while mostly following the amine, there's a slight tease of the video game's version of the fight against Bertholdt.**

**Also, we take a short trip to the past along with some bonding between Armin and Joshua (it's been a while since I wrote them together) and the prelude to one of my favorite parts of this series.**

**With that said, enjoy the chapter. **

* * *

_I didn't know how much time had past once I and my new allies regrouped, but apparently, we did a lot of work. Reiner, however, gestures me over to him for a private conversation. "What's up, Reiner?"_

_"Are you alright?"_

_"Is helplessly watching your friends die 'alright,' because if so, I'm peachy."_

_Reiner sighs at my sarcasm but lets the subject go in favor of a more important one. "How's the civilian evacuation? Could you check how things are going with the rear guard?"_

_"Rear guard?" That's where Mikasa is, and last we talked, Armin is heading there too. I nod, somewhat eager to join with Ackermann for some reason. "Yeah, I'll check things out."_

_Reiner pats me on the shoulder. "We'll take care of everything here. We're counting on you, Joshua!"_

* * *

_"Joshua, we…" I turn to Bertholdt, who looks surprised that we actually made it. "Have we… Have we made it, Joshua? Is this the end of the road?"_

_I shake my head, then turn to look at everyone. "We did well to survive this far. I'll be honest, I can close to death so many times even I nearly lost hope." I bring my hand up to my neck, touching the carving lightly. "We have indeed lost many along the way, but...maybe our training is paying off after all. Either that...or we got lucky. Whichever case it is, I hope it continues for all of us. Now that we're here, let's investigate as to where the supply team went." I look to Sasha, winking at her. "Then I believe we have a special dinner to consume."_

_As Sasha begins to pant like a dog, Bertholdt smiles. "We never did get around to that dinner of meat we promised ourselves, did we?"_

* * *

_"Okay," Conny says with some shaking in his voice, "I'm going to ask the obvious question. Can we do this without ODM gear?"_

_"No problem," Reiner says confidently. "These guys are only four meters tall. Their weak spots are not too far above eye level."_

_"He's right," Jean says, "Size won't be an issue."_

_Sasha turns to Conny. "The spot's still only one meter high and ten centimeters across."_

_"Back of the head to the nape of the neck! Worst comes to worst, you can always just shove one up their ass."_

_"That's the other weak spot? Are you serious?"_

_I sigh at Conny's ignorance but decide to play along, sarcastically saying, "That's news to me! Did I miss a day of training or something?"_

_"Come on. Knock it off, Reiner. You want your final words to be an ass joke?"_

* * *

_"Armin!" I spot my friend sitting on the dirt road, looking in the forward direction. He looks too shocked to see us._

_Reiner gets to him first, having caught Armin's horse. "Hey! Can you stand? Get on your horse, man!" Armin quickly jumps on his horse and we ride off again, chasing after a near skinless Titan with short blonde hair. By the definition, it seems to be an Abnormal. "I saw the Abnormal smoke signal. Is it that one with the nice ass?"_

_I knew Reiner had some affinity with asses, but to complement a Titan's? Well...I guess I agree._

* * *

_"Why were we kept in the dark?" Conny asks. "You, Jean, Mikasa, and Armin got to go, but nor the rest of us."_

_"Because the four of us were cleared of suspicion of colluding with Annie. Being she is of the 104th, it would make sense she had allies in the same class."_

_Nanaba nods. "That's the real reason we kept watch over you."_

_Christa shakes her head. "But there's no way any of us are shifters like Annie and Eren."_

_"I know that. Annie talked to no one in particular. There's no way one of you guys are the Colossal and Armored Titans." We sit around in uncomfortable silence, trying to make sense of the situation. I truly believe that no one here is an ally of Annie, but they're out here somewhere. We must find those two bastards. I still have to make the Armored one suffer._

* * *

_Reiner… Bertholdt… I will kill you both… You damn traitors!_

"Come on out, Bertholdt!" I swing underneath the Colossal Titan's armpit to its back, then dash forward to its nape. I successfully make a cut, yet as I look back, I see that I barely made a dent. His muscles are too thick for one set of blades. As I swing back to his front, I see the other Scouts rain down on Bertholdt's neck, but before they can reach, he covers his body in steam, much more powerful than when he transformed. Scrambling out the steam, the Scouts land all around me, either fine or nursing their injuries due to the sudden steam. "Shit," I curse myself for not being able to make the cut as I walk over to Hange and Armin.

"He's trying to disappear again?"

"No, something is different. The last time he vanished instantly, but no, he's maintaining his form and emitting heat like a furnace. If he keeps protecting himself with steam…" Armin fires a hook, but it flies back after coming in contact with the steam. "We're unable to attack him with ODM gear! Wh-What do we do?"

"We can't do anything. We wait. Squads Three and Four, take position behind the target. Rashad has command."

"Got it!"

"Squad Two will wait here. Lauda is in command."

"Understood."

"It's yet to be seen how long he can keep his body burning, but we wait for that moment to attack. Listen up. Forget about capturing them. Kill 'em and don't hesitate." She looks to Armin and me, the blond looking horrified while I bear a stern expression. She knows I have no qualms about killing them. "Armin, Joshua...and Squad One follow me! We've got a date with the Armored Titan!"

"Finally." We leap off the Wall to its side, in time to see Eren get beat around like a sack of potatoes against Sasha. He gets up, but to be honest, there seems to be no way for Eren to fight Reiner, not with the latter bearing his armor. "Eren."

"Eren!" Armin shouts. "Don't do it! You can't win in a slugfest! Run this way! Eren! Don't try to fight him!" Eren screams a blood-curdling roar at Reiner, effectively ignoring Armin. "This is bad!"

"Did he lose control?"

I shake my head. "No, I think he's just angry. I can relate." Reiner and Eren throw punches, but Reiner's moves faster. However, as quick as the punch was, it wasn't faster than Eren's dodge. Eren sidesteps to his left and grabs Reiner underneath his right arm and locking up over Reiner's left shoulder, then throws Reiner to the ground while maintaining the hold. I gasp as I recognize the move as none other than Annie's.

"Wait...isn't that...the technique that Annie used?"

"Yes. She taught it to me and Eren. Still hurts to this day." Eren tries to punch Reiner, but the Armored Titan pushes him off. However, this works in Eren's favor as he holds Reiner's head and right arm with his legs. Pulling down on Reiner's arm, it isn't but seconds and another counter grapple move later before Eren severs it in half.

"Holy shit," I say as Armin and I land at Mikasa's side on the edge of a small forest. "Mikasa, you okay?"

She nods. "Yes."

I pat her on the shoulder. "Good. Armin, be quick."

"Right." Eren is now close enough for us to talk to him, but the battle is far from over. "Eren! Can you hear me?" Eren responds by looking our way, which is his way of saying yes. "Run away! Get close to the Wall! Their goal is to kidnap and take you away! We've gotta escape and prevent that from happening!"

"But Armin," Mikasa counters, "Reiner isn't going to let us do as we please."

"Reiner's getting up," I say, pointing to the bastard. "Let's get back to the Wall." Armin and I retreat first, followed by a hesitant Mikasa and, surprisingly, Eren. I chuckle. "Good call, Eren."

"He's back in control again."

"Yeah, but like you were saying, it'll be almost impossible to escape Reiner."

"We'll have to disable him...but how?"

Without saying anything to the rest of us, Hange swoops down to Eren's shoulder, engaging in conversation with him as Reiner approaches. Midway through, Eren nods to her, in which we hear an admittedly cute cry from the Section Commander. As she comes up, something about Reiner changes. He starts to run very fast for someone armored as he is. He slams into Eren, knocking him to the ground. Eren quickly grabs Reiner's leg and dodges his punches.

"Don't stay on the ground! Eren!"

"Stand up!"

"Beat his ass!" Eren kicks Reiner off him and gets to his feet. Shuffling away from the Wall, I wonder does Eren have a plan in mind. Exactly what did Hange tell him?

"Shit. Since when could he move so quick? Are we completely useless here?"

"No," Hange states. "If his entire body was hard as stone, there's no way he could move like that. In the armor they used in wars of the past, it had sections at the joints not covered in metal to allow for movement, like in the armpits and groin. And also the spot behind the knee."

"Behind the knee." I look down, seeing that the back of Reiner's knee is indeed armorless. That's it. That's how Eren escapes, how we escape. I turn to my left, facing a soldier stronger than I. "Mikasa, when the opportunity presents itself, you must take out Reiner's knee."

"Huh?" She looks at me, confused. "But you…"

"Right now… No. Not yet. But if Eren somehow beats Reiner, exposes the nape, that will be my contribution to his downfall." As I say that, Eren counters Reiner's tackle, putting him in a headlock and further restricting movement by locking up Reiner's waist with his legs. This is the moment. "Go Mikasa!" Mikasa, in a series of some flashy ODM movement, reaches Reiner's legs and damages them. With steam pouring out of them, the joint becomes temporarily useless. Noticing this, I look to Eren and I think he looks up to me. I nod. "Break him open, Eren!"

Eren leans back, putting stress on Reiner's upper back as we see the first cracks open in his armor. Shards fly up in the air, giving us some hope Eren can do it. "You can do it!"

"Go for it, Eren! Tear the head off the neck! Pull the traitor outta there!"

_Give me Reiner. _Reiner somehow scoots him and Eren along the ground, closer to a huge nearby pit. However, each move works against Reiner as his armor continues to steady break...until he stops.

"He stopped," Armin softly says, "but why there?"

"Does it matter?" I look to Armin, but his eyes are above me, his mouth hanging open. "What?" Before he answers, Reiner emits a series of roars, one so familiar it sets Hange on alert.

"Be on your guard! He's calling in Titans!"

* * *

Two minutes pass before a Scout comes down to us. "No other Titans spotted in the area!"

"What a useless struggle. Try screaming for help with your head ripped off, you idiot!"

As blood spews from the cracks in Reiner's armor, I turn to Armin. "After Reiner screamed, you started to look away, as if you knew something. I know you, Armin, I know you figured something out. What was it?"

"I… I think… He was calling to Bertholdt…"

"Above you! Look out!" Moblit's call from the top of the Wall… We look up, seeing the Colossal Titan's nearly decayed body topple over the side of the Wall. Its mouth, wide open as it was when it consumed Ymir and another Scout, lands first, directly around Reiner and Eren.

Steam flies everywhere, causing us to lose our footing on the Wall's side. As the Scouts are scattered, I see Hange grab onto Armin to cover him. Hearing her cries nearby, I quickly swing over to Mikasa and grab hold of her before we are swept off the Wall.

"Hang on!" As we descend, I lock a hook in the Wall, allowing us to land safely on the ground. Or as safe as we can be since we're still surrounded by steam. I do my best to cover both of us from the heated air with my cloak as we watch as the growling Reiner bites into Eren's nape, similarly to how Annie did right in front of us just days prior. The steam settling in intensity, I manage to see Bertholdt on the back of his Titan carrying the unconscious Ymir just before hooking on to an escaping Reiner.

All I can hear is Reiner's retreating footsteps, my blood pumping in anger, Mikasa's soft cries under my chin, and Armin, 20 meters above us, shouting "Eren!"

* * *

_Some time later_

"Unbelievable. What a disaster." Armin looks up behind me as I continue to hold Mikasa in my lap. Seems that, between both of us, she didn't come out relatively well. We did take a harder landing than I hoped, and the steam didn't help… Now with Eren and Ymir taken by Reiner and Bertholdt, not only are we feeling helpless, but Conny and Christa, especially her… Hannes couldn't have said it any better as we look to the wounded. "Luckily we were above so we got away unscathed. Everyone underneath got blasted by steam and wind. You're lucky, Joshua, that you did manage to cover yourself."

"Yeah."

"How is Mikasa doing?"

Armin looks to the girl in my lap. "I don't see any bad wounds, so I'm guessing it's a bad concussion. Joshua did manage to protect both of them from the steam."

"I see… Have you two eaten? I'll get you something."

"I'm fine," I say softly. Armin simply shakes his head, but Hannes steps away after ruffling Armin's hair.

"You gotta eat." After Hannes leaves us, I let a finger of mine slide down Mikasa's face, from her forehead to her chin. It's...soft.

"Hey, Armin."

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"A day when some bullies stole my food, so Eren tried to defend me and get it back. Mikasa, of course, had to come to save him. Oh, you were there, weren't you?"

I smile slightly. "That was an amazing brawl. I heard Mikasa was badass, but seeing it in action. I thought about joining in for a second, but I had to get home."

"Yeah. I remember that you gave me the bread you had afterward. You insisted and bought yourself some more. Didn't you get in trouble?"

"Nah. I explained what happened to my parents. Said it was a nice thing to do for a friend." I look up from Mikasa to Armin, my smile disappearing. "We weren't friends then, I guess. Not until well after Shiganshina, right?"

"That time, you joined in the fight."

* * *

_Five years ago_

"Hey, give it back!"

"Oh, you want this?"

I look up from my ration to a group of kids gathered on the street close to the refugee camp. Three of them I instantly recognize as Armin Arlert, Mikasa Ackermann, and Eren Jaeger. Armin looks ready to run, Mikasa tries to pull Eren back while he talks back to the older boys. Since I don't believe them to be refugees, they must be civilians. Ever since we arrived, it has been nothing but trouble for us, but it is the situation we live in. I don't understand it too much though as to why they would bother us. It isn't our fault the Titans took Wall Maria.

The leader of the civilian boys takes a huge bite of what I believe is Eren's rationed bread, which angers the boy. Pushing Mikasa off him, Eren leaps over and punches the boy in his jaw, knocking his opponent to the ground. Immediately Eren is swarmed by the other boys and Mikasa is forced to jump in (as usual, but in some cases, it makes the fight much more thrilling) and it seems the boys are going to be pushed back.

That is until one of the boys uppercuts Mikasa, knocking her to the ground proudly. "Little bitch, you want to fight like a man, you get beat like one. Just like your friend here." With two boys holding Eren in place, the one who punched Mikasa saunters over and prepares to pummel Eren. No adult in the area tries to stop them, not even the lazy Garrison troops close by, probably too drunk to care. It reminds me of home, and any reminders of home remind me of my mother and father. So before Eren is even punched, I stand behind the boy, grabbing his raised arm. "What the hell? Who are you?"

"Did you really punch a girl like that?"

"What?"

"My father told me that under no circumstance should you hurt a girl like that. But if you have no choice but to fight them, it is best to never strike them with your fists or feet. But even if you must use your fist, never, _ever_, go for their head. It is what makes them beautiful, and to rob them of their beauty...is a sin unforgivable in heaven."

The boy looks at me incredulously. "You're a refugee too, aren't you? Isn't your father digesting in a Titan's stomach? What do you-" I grab the back of the boy's head and slam it down on the pavement, hopefully breaking his jaw. Releasing him, I turn to the others, given them a glare that frightens them. They drop Eren and run off without their friend, who weakly picks himself up before skipping after them.

"Here." I hold my hand out to Eren. He takes it and gets to his feet.

"Thank you, Joshua, but they got away with our rations!"

I shrug. "Don't worry about it." I walk over to Mikasa and Armin as she tries to hold her tears. She's tough, but that uppercut was definitely tougher. I pick her up in my arms (with surprisingly little resistance) and turn to the others. "I got some extra rations. Come on."

* * *

Once we made it back to the camp, I took three rations out of my pocket, handing them to Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. "Here." As I got to the girl, she takes it with some scrutiny. With the other boys seated nearby, I sit beside her, munching again on my small loaf. "How is your jaw?"

"...Fine."

"Good." We eat in silence for a moment, though I can see her taking her food bit by bit. "What's wrong?"

"Why did you help us?"

"Because... you're supposed to help those in need. That's what I was taught. 'There isn't enough kindness in our world, despite us all being in the same situation of the Titan threat. So while we can, we must spare the little we can.' My mom said that the day I gave Armin my bread. And… I owe Eren everything. In truth, I'm jealous of the three of you. We're all survivors, but you three have each other. I... I have no one. So maybe I was looking for that as well." I look to Mikasa, her eyes cold but losing the untrusting edge. She looks down to her bread, taking a slightly bigger bite than before.

"Thank you, Joshua. For having our back."

"You're welcome. Honestly, Eren watches over Armin too much, and you to Eren. Someone has to watch your back."

* * *

_Present_

"Somehow you got us extra rations too. And...you've watched over Mikasa ever since. All of us, really. In turn...we added another person to our already discombobulated friendship." Armin returns his eyes to his knees. "You've been a better brother to Mikasa than Eren ever has, if I may be honest. Of course...she doesn't see him as a brother, not in years."

"Maybe so. But you and Eren... I know I may not show it a lot, but you two give me much to live for. Going to an ocean, I never would've considered such a dream. I just want the Armored Titan dead and my vengeance finalized, but... To know what the world is like on the other side of our hometown, we deserve that much. Of course, once we do that, we'll be free. We can live our lives. You can get a girlfriend, Armin."

"Huh?"

"I mean, sure, Annie is crystalized and stuff... So what about Christa? I saw the face you were making when she came for us during the expedition. She's nice, smart, honestly the cutest of the bunch, and she's nobility. Can't get much better than that."

Armin chuckles nervously. "Says you, you're going to need a secret stash to survive with Sasha."

"Yeah." Still stroking her face, I watch as Mikasa slowly opens her eyes. Staring at each other for a few seconds, she suddenly rises up and looks around, seeing the wounded to our right and Armin with his face buried in his legs to the left until he notices she risen.

"Mikasa?"

She launches herself at Armin, grabbing Armin by his cloak. "Armin! Where is Eren?!"

"Mikasa, calm down!" Mikasa releases Armin and crawls over to the edge of the Wall. "You shouldn't be moving! We don't know how badly you're injured!"

"I got her." I stand up and walk over to Mikasa's side, seeing a small group of Titans on their side of Rose, between here and Maria. Hearing my footsteps, she turns to me, her face in a panic.

"Where is he?"

"Eren was taken away. Ymir, too, by Reiner and Bertholdt. That...was five hours ago, so wherever they are, they are far from here."

Horrified, she turns back to the land. "Is anyone… Is anyone chasing them?"

"No."

She levels herself in my face. "Why not?"

"Because we can't, Mikasa. The horses are on the other side of the Wall, and we have no way of bringing them up here until the lifts arrive. So we must wait on saving Eren and Ymir. The officers, including Hange, are too injured to move. Without reinforcements, it'll be foolhardy to give chase. Do you understand?"

Mikasa lowers her head, raising a hand to it. "Not this again."

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I must've hit my head pretty hard when we landed, but I'm fine. But… When Eren was taken away by Annie, we chased them right away. And fighting beside Lieutenant Levi, in the end...in the end, we were able to get him back. But...if it's already been five hours…" She stands up, walking over to her scarf and tying it on. "Hey, Armin, Joshua… Why does Eren always go somewhere far away from us?"

Armin sighs. "Yeah, now that you mention it, Eren has always run off on his own, leaving us behind. I guess that's just the way things are meant to happen, for Eren at least."

"But all I want...is to be at his side. That's all I ask for." I sit beside Mikasa again, wrapping my arms around her. She leans easily into my shoulder, resting her head underneath my chin.

"I know. Don't worry. I'll bring him back, even if it's just his head." We ease into a few moments of silence before I notice footsteps coming our way. It's Hannes, with the rations he promised.

"Mikasa? So you're up, huh? I bet you're hungry. Here, eat this." I take two for me and Mikasa. He throws one to Armin and takes his seat nearby. I hand Mikasa's hers, but my hunger is still nonexistent. "As usual, field rations are all there is. Hmm, taste neither good nor bad. Same as always. Speaking of which, this is the same as always, too. Ever since the good old days, you two have been there to clean up the mess of that brat. You even brought Joshua into that job. That's what I call a lousy relationship. Sheesh. It's a different time and a different place, but you kids are doing the same thing you always have. Am I right?"

"The neighborhood bullies and Titans are a little bit different in size," Armin says.

"True. The thing is, that brat isn't even all that good at fighting. But no matter if he's up against three of five, he'll charge in all the same. By the time Mikasa or soldiers show up, he'd been beaten into a pulp every time. But you know, I've never seen him win a fight before, but I've never seen him get beat and give up either. Sometimes he's so tenacious that even I think it's scary. No matter how many times he's knocked over, he gets back up. That's the kinda guy he is. You think he'll get taken away without putting up a fight? Nope. He'll keep resisting as long as he has strength. Even more so when he's up against just two. He'll give them hell no matter who he's up against. Until you or I show up to help. That's how Eren's always been." Armin and Mikasa's eyes widen while mine turns to the land between Rose and Maria. "I loved the good old days. If you ask Eren, he'd say those days were nothing more than a false peace. But for me, I'm more than happy to be a drunk, useless soldier. If it means getting back to those plain, ordinary days, I'll do whatever I have to. No matter how long it takes to get there. I'm coming, too. Without you four together again, I can't bring back the good old days." We all nod together, our resolve to save Eren firm. The three of us cadets open our rations and bite down, eating with purpose.

To bring back the good old days.

* * *

Mikasa turns to our left. "They're here."

I nod. "Good. We can get started."

Commander Erwin, a few Scouts, and the Military Police arrive with equipment needed for our rescue of Eren. Instead of riding on land, they come along the Wall, in the direction from Trost. "I never thought they'd ride along the Wall," Armin says.

"That's probably the quickest route," Christa responds.

"Christa… I'd prefer if you stayed back, but…"

"No matter what you say, I won't. I refuse to wait here when Ymir was taken away. You three should know how I feel."

"Christa has a point, Armin." We look to Conny, whose back is to us. "We have plenty of reasons for chasing after them. One of which I still can't believe… That Reiner and Bertholdt are our enemies. I've gotta hear it straight from their mouths."

"Very well, Conny." I turn to Christa, nodding to her. "We're bringing Ymir home too. No one gets left behind if we can help it."

* * *

Hange, still too injured to stand, points to a forest on a map. "It might be a long shot, but there's a giant forest here. We should head straight for it. Though it's not like they have a way to hide the Armored Titan's footsteps, but I think that's where they're headed."

"Why's that?" the commander asks.

"It's a gamble, but even if they have the strength to change into Titans, the other Titans outside the Wall might still be a threat. Especially after all that fighting. They may not be as bad off as Eren, but I'm sure they're exhausted. Like how Annie was out cold for a while. Let's assume for now that their destination is somewhere outside of Wall Maria. Considering the distance they'll have to cover, we can assume they'll need to recover their stamina. Which means they'll want to rest somewhere where Titans are unable to reach them. At least until nightfall when Titans can't move."

"Even then, that's no longer a guarantee." I look to Christa and Connie, with last night's events still prevalent in our minds.

"We have until night. If we reach the forest before nightfall, we still might make it in time!"

Commander Erwin nods and stands up. "Let's move!"


	21. Betrayal: Treetop Talk

**College is on the horizon again for me, but thankfully I got ahead in writing. At this point, Season 3 Part 1 is almost done.**

**This is the only chapter so far (posted and written) that there's no presence of "Our Man" but the main protagonist of AoT takes the spotlight here as the rest of the gang rides to his rescue. As you may know, the main story of the video game is nearly at an end, but as I have stated, the OC will live on. I know many want an alternative ending, but if I do that...well, we can discuss that soon. But I am open to writing it as a separate piece, just not in this story.**

**Anyway, thanks for everything so far with this story. I get a quick glimpse of the analytics before updating, and it surprises me just how unexpectedly well this story is performing. I guess writing during the premiere of the previous half of the season was good timing, but I still did not expect this success. **

**Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

_Eren_

"Oh, Eren. You're awake?" Eren stares up, eyes wide open as he faces Reiner and Bertholdt while sitting on a treetop. Initially, he's confused as to why he's with the pair, then the realization hits him like a boulder. Like with Annie, he was captured by the boys, but unlike Annie, there's no Levi, Mikasa, and Joshua to rescue him.

Grunting, he struggles to get out of his wrapped cloak, but for some reason, he has some difficulty with his arms. But he somehow manages to undo the wrap, getting his first glance at his stumped upper limbs. "What the hell? My arms!"

"Eren." Eren turns to his right to see Ymir sitting nearby, holding up her amputated right-side limbs. "Look at me. I'm in the same shape as you. Guess the both of us are having a bad day."

"Ymir. Why...don't I have any arms?"

"That's my bad," Reiner calls out. "I'm the one who did that." Eren looks up, not so surprised at all. "I was kinda in a hurry. When I rushed to bite your nape, I neglected to take your arms into account."

"I see. I must've lost." Eren sighs, then returns gazing up with a vengeful glare at the Armored and Colossal Titan. With an idea forming in his head, he raises his right arm and bites it.

"Eren, stop!" Bertholdt says warningly.

"Hold your horses, Eren," Ymir says while removing Eren's partially bitten arm from his mouth. "Take a good look around us. We're in the giant forest within Wall Maria. It's not even close to any of the Walls. In other words, we're deep in Titan territory. Take a look." Eren looks down, seeing Titans waiting at the base of the tree. One of them is laying on its back as if it is waiting while relaxing as other Titans climb his body to attempt climbing the tree. "I think that one there is an Abnormal. It looks like he's just lounging around, but he's not taking his eyes off us. There's a lot of small ones down there, too. That alone is dangerous. Over that was is another big one." Indeed it is big, but the Titan also hides behind a neighboring tree. For monsters, Eren will say they have some personality. "He's staring at us, but won't come any closer. I bet you that one's a scaredy-cat. And then you got these chumps. Those dirty bastards. They're the only ones with any ODM gear on. Reiner's wearing gear he took from you. So I don't think changing into a Titan at this point is going to solve anything. Not only can they do that, but they can escape high into the trees as well. Those two aside, there are Titans all around us. Escaping out of this Titan territory would be tough, even with Titan powers. Understand? There's nothing to gain by acting up." Eren sighs in agreement. Escaping will be hard, and he has never transformed this injured. He probably could, but the best-case scenario is that his Titan doesn't have arms.

"No." They look up to Reiner. "You two can't eve turn into Titans right now. So don't count on that to help you. Your body is at its limit. It's taking everything you've got to repair the damage."

Eren narrows his eyes. "Are you stupid? Why the hell would I trust anything coming out of your mouth?"

"Well," Ymir says to break the tense staredown of the boys, "it's not like I know the specifics of how Titan powers work. Unlike you guys, I'm pretty clueless about it. Hey, Reiner. You said you would talk once Eren woke up. It's about time one of you says what you plan to do with us."

"We'll take you to our hometown. I realize that you're not going to listen and do as I say. But like Ymir was saying, this place is swarming with Titans. We could beat the shit out of each other right now, but when we're weak, the other Titans would just come and eat us. So until nightfall, when the Titans can't move, we have no choice but to wait here. Whether you try to run and escape from us or don't and we take you away, either way, we wait for night."

"Why didn't you stay the Armored Titan and run home?" Ymir asks. "What's the point of stopping here? Too tired and had to take a break?"

"Why don't you use your imagination?"

Eren bows his head. _Let's think. If I waited for an opening an became a Titan, running away from here doesn't seem like it would pose a challenge. But will I be able to transform into a Titan in the first place? Reiner said that I can't. And I have to consider that even Reiner had to stop here to take a break. If my Titan form isn't strong enough, does that mean I'll just get eaten by the others?_

"Are you simply waiting here for it to become night?"

"Maybe I am."

_No, there's no way they'd wait until nightfall. They're not going to give our bodies the chance to fully recover. They'll make their move while we're still powerless. At this rate, I can't do anything. At this rate… Oh. What happened to everyone? Where are the Scouts? Don't tell me they're coming this way… If they try to help, no one's gonna make it back safely._

"What's it matter? Those Titans at the castle moved just fine at night. Won't these Titans, too?"

"The Titans here cannot move at night. You should know all about it, Ymir."

_Speaking of which, why can Ymir turn into a Titan? I don't think she's like me, who knew nothing about it. Is she on our side? I don't even know what her goal is yet. She's hard enough to understand as is… I've made up my mind. Right now, what I need is information. I need to figure out everything I can from these guys. And then I'll make my escape. To do that, I'll need to suppress all my emotions and for my body to heal._

* * *

_Mikasa_

_Eren...please be okay. I'm coming for you._

"Mikasa. Hey, Mikasa! Mikasa!" Finally hearing Hannes call for her, Mikasa turns around to the approaching Garrison soldier. "Stop pushing so hard. You're drifting near the vanguard. It'll ruin the whole formation. I know how you feel, but… didn't I tell you? Eren won't get taken away without putting up a fight. Don't you agree? You know he'll never give up. So it's up to us to stay calm and be there when he needs us. Just like we did back then."

Mikasa turns away, holding on to the scarf gave her all those years ago. Hannes is right. Eren will be alright with Reiner and Bertholdt, so while he fights them now, she, Hannes, Armin, and Joshua are on route to saving him. _Hold on, Eren…. We're coming._

* * *

_Eren_

Time has passed, with Eren's wrists now beginning to regenerate. Not much has been said in a while. Information is something Eren would like to get, but considering he's never been the one to be leveled-headed, it is a hard process to be like Armin. If he had Armin's brain and Joshua's eyes, maybe he could do this.

Joshua… Even since the day they became friends in the fight for rations, Eren knew his goal was strictly to eliminate the Armored Titan. How hard is he taking the betrayal, Eren could imagine it is the same way he is. If the Scouts are coming, they're coming for Ymir and, well in Mikasa's case, himself, but Joshua...unless he's been talked out of the idea, he's coming for Reiner's blood.

"Reiner," Ymir speaks to break the silence, "you got any water? If I don't get some soon, I'm going to dry up and die."

"Even if its a matter of life and death, there's nothing we can do, given our situation."

Ymir sighs. "He's completely right. The situation couldn't be any shittier."

"Speaking of which, ever since the Titans showed up yesterday morning, we've been working our asses off. With nothing to eat or drink and not even a wink of sleep. Fortunately, the Wall wasn't broken or anything. So I think we deserve to take a break for once. We'll see about getting promoted later."

"Reiner…"

He turns to Bertholdt."Huh? What? We've done plenty to enough to deserve it. I think we've performed outstandingly, considering all we've been put through. I know soldiers like us are expected to fulfill their duties, but I think we've all earned it."

_Soldiers. He called us "soldiers." But what about being a warrior? Something weird is going on with Reiner, like back at the Wall before he transformed...like he was a different person._

"Reiner, what in the world are you talking about?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" he says back to Ymir. "I'm not saying we go demand to be promoted to captains or anything."  
"That's…not what I mean."

"Oh yeah. Where did you get all get that cannon from? That really saved my ass. It's a good thing Christa helped me after that. To be honest, I think she has a thing for me."

"Hey."

"Now that I think about it, Christa has always treated me especially-"

"Hey!" Eren stands up, facing Reiner with disbelieving eyes. "You bastard. You gotta be kidding me."

Reiner looks back with hurt innocence. "Huh? What are you so angry about, Eren? Did I...say something wrong?"

_Fuck suppressing my emotions, Reiner wants to play his games. _"If you want to die, just keep talking!"

"Hold on, Eren." Ymir pushes Eren back. "This isn't normal, no matter how you look at it. Isn't that right, Bertholdt?" The boy who is the Colossal Titan remains quiet, but it is enough to answer Ymir's question. "If you know something, quit with the silence and come out and say it. Or did Joshua fail to make you more confident in yourself long back then?"

Reiner, still confused, looks up to his ally. "Huh?"

Bertholdt looks to Reiner with those timid eyes. "Reiner. You're not...a soldier, remember? You and I, we're warriors." Off that one word, Eren and the others witness Reiner beginning to crack, like it is a word coded to change Reiner's behavior. It does just that.

"Right," he says more calmly, back to the persona Eren's been with for most of the day. "That's...how it is." Or at least he seemed calm until he sat down and held his face...crying?

"Huh? What's he doing?"

"More or less, I think I've figured it out. I thought it was strange. Why would the guy who broke the Wall risk his life to save Conny? Why would the guy who Joshua wants to kill the most becomes one of his treasured friends? Everything he does is contradictory, but he doesn't realize it himself. I don't know why he ended up like this, but probably… He was originally a warrior whose goal was to break the Wall, but after pretending to be a soldier for so long, he lost sight of who he was and couldn't tell which one was real. No… Unable to bear the weight of his sins, he convinced himself he was a soldier protecting the Wall to maintain emotional balance within his own heart. And in the end, he believed it. As a result, his heart was split and his memories broken. This must not be the first time Reiner's talk and made no sense, judging by Bertholdt's grim expression." Ymir smiles, knowing she hit the mark. "It's amazing, really. For someone excessively honest like you to-"

"Enough!" Reiner glares down, his eyes twitching. "Shut your mouth."

Amazingly, this is the first time Eren recalls anyone successfully shutting Ymir up. "Sorry about that. I might've pried too much."

Eren scoffs. "You've gotta be kidding me. Why are you pretending to be the victim here? What's your deal? That day, what the hell were you thinking when you talked to us? Tell me, Bertholdt. I'm talking to you, you damn lackey. I told you everything...while you looked at me right in the eyes. About the day my mother was eaten alive. Isn't that right? Thanks to that piece of wall you kick that went flying straight into my house, my mother couldn't escape or run away. You remember right, right? I told you my story. What were you thinking? What were you thinking when I told you? And Reiner...when Joshua told you that a piece of wall that you broke through crushed his parents, that he barely lived through it himself, what exactly were you thinking? What the hell were you both thinking?"

"...Back then," Bertholdt begins, "I thought...I felt sorry for you."

"Oh… I see… You guys… You guys...are neither soldiers nor warriors. You're just murderers. You're psychotic mass murderers who've killed countless innocent people who never did anything wrong!"

"You don't think I know that?!" Reiner shouts. "I don't need you to point that out to me!"

"Then don't pretend to have emotions like you're one of us! You guys aren't even human anymore! It's you two who've turned this world into a living hell! Does that make you happy, murderers?"

"What are you after by calling us murderers? Do you want us to regret it? Do you want us to apologize? Would that give you satisfaction? The people you thought we were no longer exist! If screaming will make you feel better, then scream your damn head off!"

"...That's right… I'm still...too naive. I gotta do what I can. Do what I can...to make you guys...suffer and die in the worst way possible. You've got it coming."

Ymir sighs at Eren's insanely smirking face. "You can't be serious."

"Huh?"

"Quit it, Eren. If you keep saying childish crap like that, I've got no hope for you."

"Huh?"

They share a staredown before Ymir looks away from Eren to Reiner. "Hey, Reiner. What's the deal with that monkey?"

"Monkey? What do you mean?"

"Hmm? You don't know? That's surprising, given how much you two stared at it with stars in your eyes like two little brats. That monkey."

"What's that? A monkey?" Eren figures they're talking again about Utgard Castle, but he doesn't recall any mentions of a monkey.

"Just listen. That monkey Beast Titan is what caused this recent fiasco. It made Titans rise up from within the Wall. I wonder if he was trying to assess our strength. That's where these guys are trying to get. If you guys get to him, you'll be able to go back home, right?"

Eren turns on Ymir. "You...knew this? What do you know? Tell me everything!"

"Just wait. I've got circumstances on my own."

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Eren, if you thinking killing these two will bring an end to everything, you're gravely mistaken."

"Huh? Then who's the enemy?"

"Enemy? If I said that, the-"

"Ymir," Reiner interrupts. "Do you think there's any future for this world? If you know so much, think about what you want to do. It's not out of the question for you to join our side."

"And trust you? Yeah, right. You two don't even trust me."

"Wrong. We can trust you. Because your one goal is to protect Christa. When it comes to her, we should be able to trust one another. You might think I'm joking, but is it that hard for you to believe that we might want the best for Christa as well? Or...would you rather put your hopes in Eren and rely on him over us?"

"Huh?" _Why are they suddenly talking about Christa? What does she have to do with it?_

"You're probably thinking your best chance is to use Eren to escape from here. Because if you're taken by us, there's little chance for your rescue. To be honest, that's pretty much true. Even if you come with us, we can't guarantee your safety. But if it's Christa we're talking about, we might be able to do something for her. Will it be your petty life...or Christa's future? It's up to you to decide"

Eren can see Ymir is bothered by Reiner's words, but he doesn't buy it one bit. _There's no future for this world? Why's that? What's this about a monkey? What's going on?_ "Hey," he says to Ymir. "Hey, say something! Who's the enemy? Ymir!"

She looks to Eren. "Who knows."

"It's settled, then. Too bad, Eren." A distant pop gathers their attention as multiple streaks of green fly skyward. Reiner and Bertholdt gasp as the former realize their time is running out. "Dammit!"

"Shit! Damn you, Ymir." Disgusted by Ymir's betrayal, Eren faces the other traitors. _There's just one hour left until sunset._


	22. Betrayal: The Daring Rescue

_Ymir, minutes later_

"For now, let's get to a place without Titans! We need to get as far away as possible! My Titan form isn't very fast. If I get surrounded, I won't be able to protect you guys."

Ymir, riding on Bertholdt's back, doesn't understand the reason he and Reiner (carrying an unconscious Eren) are rushing to get away. Now being chased by the Titans that waited hours for them, her frustration with the other Titan shifters reaches a new peak. "Then why didn't we just wait until nightfall?" She hears a pop, looks up from the Titans below to the green smoke signal streaking upwards. _Smoke signals? Did the Scouts come to rescue us?_

"Unless they brought loads of horses over the Wall, the scouting formation won't work. Someone made that call. I didn't think it would happen so soon. It must be Commander Erwin. A tough opponent!" Another one fires, much closer than the last. "Shit. They're already that close? It's Eren's fault for going berserk."

Ymir continues to look back, her eyes widening as she thinks of the Scouts, one of them in particular. _It can't be… She's… No, she is! _"Reiner! Christa's here! Christa came with them!"

"Huh?"

"If you want her, now's the chance!"

"How do you know? You can't see her from here!"

"I just know it! She's such a good-natured person, it's stupid! I guarantee she came to save me! I know it!"

"Even if that's true. it's no use! We'll do it later!"

"Huh?"

"Our chance of succeeding is way too low! How will you get Christa out of that formation? Wait for a chance!"

Ymir gasps in shock. "Wait for a chance? Seriously? Will that be after I'm eaten by one of your warriors? No! I don't trust you!"

"Trust me! Christa is indispensible to us, too!"

"Then get her now! Go prove it to me this instant! It has to be now or never! I want to see her right now! At this rate… I'll never get the chance...to see her again."

Underneath her, Bertholdt sighs. "It's impossible. I'm sorry, Ymir." She looks down to the back of his head, flabbergasted. "We don't even knwo if we can escape ourselves, let alone go back for her."

"I promise you," Reiner says, "if anyone, it's Christa I want to save from this conflict! You have to trust us! So just bear with it! This is for Christa's own sake! Got it, Ymir?"

"...Is it...really for Christa's sake?"

"Yeah!"

"Fine."

"Thank you."

Ymir looks to the ground, her face fallen. _I'ce come this far...and it looks like I'll have to lie to myself again._

* * *

_Joshua_

We are closing in on the forest after a long, rapid ride. I almost feel sorry for the horses being pushed so hard, but with a situation as ours, it's a sacrifice we have to make.

I've been quiet for the entire trip, not breathing a word to anyone about anything. It takes every fiber of my being to remember Commander Erwin's words to me to focus on rescuing Eren and Ymir, not killing Reiner and Bertholdt. I know today will not be the last time we encounter time, but...why wait? Then again, how will we get past Reiner's armor? How will we get past Bertholdt's steam? As humans, they were at the top of our class, just beneath Mikasa. The commander has a point, even though I hate it.

I'm not the only one here with a definite goal in mind. Mikasa, Armin, Hannes, they're here for Eren. Conny (who was too far ahead of us to see the traitors transform) and Jean wants answers. Sasha, I guess, is here for the same. Christa is here for Ymir.

I turn to Christa, seeing her determined face set forward to the rising forest. I understand the relationship between her and Ymir, much as it is alike Eren's to us from Shinganshina, but...even then, she's not the girl I remember. She's still the cute, kind-hearted goddess I would help at the Garrison hospital during our training years, but the last twenty-four hours, I've seen nothing but courage from her. I see why Reiner likes her a lot.

He will never lay a finger on her body, even if I must sever them over and over again. I will keep my promise to Ymir, to protect her at all times.

* * *

_Ymir_

"In this environment, I'm the strongest one here." Ymir leans over, tightening her grip on Bertholdt's head, covering his right eye.

"Q-Quit it, Ymir!"

"Don't you think a forest like this is where I can shine the most? Well?" They nearly head for a tree, but Bertholdt retracts the hooks in time. However, in his shock, the pair begin to fall down to the earth, nearly doing so before Bertholdt manages to fire his hooks again.

"Ymir! Stop! We'll fall!"

"Do you think I care? If I became a Titan, I might be powerless compared to you, but I can jump through the trees and move swiftly. I could snatch Eren away from you and go back to meet up with the Scouts and probably succeed. If you don't agree to take Christa with you right now, 'll get in your way and fight you right here."

Reiner, now halting their retreat, frustratingly shouts at Ymir, "Wh-What are you saying? Don't you care what happens to her? We can't help her that way!"

"Yeah, that's fine. Even if it means taking her future away, I'll do what it takes to live and meet her. I might be the shittiest person there ever was. You guys don't know what it's like. She knows how awful I am, and yet she still smiles at me...that girl."

"You…"

"Don't be mad at me. I have a plan for it. If I stay and fight, it should be easier for you to escape anyways! Or would you rather stay and kill each other? Do you want me to prove how crazy I am?

* * *

_Joshua_

"Shit." Lightning strikes in the forest, the telltale sign of a Titan transformation occurring.

"A light?" Armin says. "Straight ahead in the forest! I saw a light! It's the light that appears when a Titan transforms!"

"Then we're just in time," Erwin responds. "Soldiers, disperse! We believe the enemy has already transformed! Locate Eren and recover him! Battle is not our objective! Prioritize recovery and retreat!" We disperse, one group going right, ours to the left. Once we dodge the Titans guarding the woods, we engage ODM at Hannes' signal.

"First thing is to find the enemy and let the others know! They should be fleeing the forest! Break!" Hannes and another soldier head right, Mikasa, Armin, and I head left. As we move, we search carefully as we can for the four Titans.

_Eren, Ymir, where are you? _A distant cry echoes throughout the forest, stopping us in our tracks. Knowing the sound of Eren's roar, I deduce it isn't him or even Reiner's. Yet, as it is familiar to me, I easily know who it is. _So Ymir transformed? Did she get away? With Eren?.. Probably not, knowing her. _"That's Ymir! Let's go!"

By the time we arrive, Conny, Sasha and Jean's group is already at Ymir's Titan. As expected, no Eren in sight. With the five of us (Hannes and the other Scout regrouped with us) sharing a tree nearby Jean, we face Ymir, though while Conny interrogates her, her attention is elsewhere.

"So that's Ymir's Titan."

"Did she turn into a Titan and fight with Reiner?"

"Ymir? Did you get away from Reiner? Where are they?"

"Tell us anything, Ymir!"

"Say something already!" Conny leaps to Ymir's head, beating it worthlessly. Yet I don't say a word about or to Ymir, instead following her eyes. She's searching...but for what?

Armin notices it too. "Is she keeping an eye out for Reiner? Something's not right."

"You see it too, huh? The way she's looking around, I don't Reiner is the problem."

"Why...is she looking at everyone one by one?"

"So if it's not a what, then it's a who… If it's not Reiner, then…Is she...looking for-"

"Ymir!" As I was expecting, Ymir turns her head to the sound of Christa's voice. "Thank goodness! You're all right!"

Yes, Ymir is fine, but the situation itself...Normally I wouldn't question it, but of all times, Ymir is looking for Christa now? I have a bad feeling. "Christa, stay ba-" Nothing in the world prepared me for what happened. As I warned her, Ymir leaped from the tree, mouth wide open, and snatched Christa.

"Huh?"

"No…"

"She… She ate Christa!"

_No, Ymir. Not you too. Do not tell me you've betrayed us, Christa most of all! _"Christa!" I shoot off, hearing Jean order the others behind me.

"She's fast! We're losing her!"

"Just keep going!"

"Why would Ymir do that?"

"I can't be the only one who could've guess it would turn out this way!"

"Yeah! She's clearly hostile to us now! Looks like she's cooperating with Reiner! She lured us right in!"

I look back to Armin, but I hold my tongue and continue to advance. I know Ymir better, I know that wouldn't have done this by siding with Reiner and Bertholdt. There's something else to it, else she wouldn't betray Christa like this. What did those boys tell her?

Ahead of us, another yellow light flashes, and out of it comes the Armored Titan, running out the forest. Though he's tiny in my sight, I see Bertholdt zip to Reiner's shoulder, Ymir leaping to the other one as the three retreats to the plains.

"Oh no," Armin says. "Eren's being taken away!" I narrow my eyes, seeing my friend strapped to Bertholdt's back.

"Don't stop!" Hannes orders as he comes to us. "Get on your horses and chase!" Not a moment later, we're on our horses, once more after the human Titans. Our rage refueled, we push our horses to the maximum, desiring to get our Christa and Eren back. "I'm getting him back no matter what! Even if it means trading my life for it!"

_Christa… I do not know what Ymir is thinking. I do not believe it, but if she is indeed against us… I'm getting you back!_

* * *

"He's not fast enough to escape! We'll catch up!"

"This time, I won't hesitate. I'll kill them both, I swear. And if Ymir gets in my way, she's asking for it, too. No matter what it takes… I will!"

"If there's anything left of Reiner after I'm done, you can have the scraps." _As for Ymir, you better hope I don't get to her first, Mikasa. If I must...I will._ As I say that, I see Ymir remove Christa from her mouth and holds her like a well-deserved trophy. Smoke emits from the smaller Titan's nape, which can only mean Ymir is exiting.

* * *

_Christa_

"Ymir!" Having Titan saliva encase you is an experience not many live to tell, but Christa, to her knowledge, is the third person she knows to do so. But she's the second to have a person she knows to eat her in such a way. As her best friend rises from her Titan's body, coughing up saliva as well, Christa is mixed with questions and emotions.

"Christ- No, Historia. Sorry...for eating you...like that. I bet...you're mad at me."

"Ymir… What is this? What are you doing? We came here to rescue you and Er-"

"I don't need rescuing! Just stay right there. I'm following Reiner and Bertholdt now. You, too. Come with me. There's no future within the Walls!"

_There's no future within the Walls? What...does that mean?_

"Listen to me, Historia. Outside the walls isn't as bad as you think. Especially...because there won't be anyone saying that you're better off not being born."

"I'm pretty sure Titans won't be saying that to me because they'll be too busy trying to eat me!"

"Everyone has at least one or two faults! If you can just overlook that, they're not so bad after all!"  
"Ymir! Everything you're saying and doing isn't making any sense! Could it be...that Reiner and Bertholdt threatened you?"

"It's...the reverse," Bertholdt softly admits, though Christa ignores him.

"Am I right, Ymir? I'll fight them with you, so let me out of your hand! I don't care if there's something you can't tell me. No matter what happens, I will always be your ally!" Ymir looks back, Christa's words bouncing in her head. Christa can see she might be able to change her best friend's mind. They can get out of this. She can get her and Eren out of this, and the Scouts can return home.

"Ymir. Look." Bertholdt gestures to the approaching Scout Regiment, hot on Reiner's heels. "The Scouts hve already gotten this close. If only we had run right away, we probably would've been able to escape. But because you forced us to bring Christa...at this rate, they'll catch us. Hey, Ymir...are you telling us we did all of that for nothing? Did you change your mind? Is that really what you want? Letting Christa rot within the Walls? Don't be stupid, Ymir!"

The despair in Bertholdt's face… If Christa didn't know him better, she would say he was faking it. "Ymir! Hurry up and let me go!"

"I can't!"

"What?"

Ymir bows her head in internal turmoil. "Historia. To be honest, the reason I snatched you away...was only...to save myself."

"Huh?"

"A long time ago, I stole the Power of the Titans from one of their comrades. There's nothing I can do against them. Sooner or later, they'll kill me. But...if I hand you over and cooperate with them, they said they would see what they could do and try to make it so my crime goes away. Because you know the secrets of the Wall, you're someone important to the Church. Once this world started going to hell, I thought being with you would give me insurance in the future. I almost died during the battle at that castle and that feeling scarred me for life. I'm afraid to die. I'll do whatever it takes to live. I'm pathetic. I told myself I was doing it for your sake, but really, I did it for myself. Please, Historia… Please… Please save me!"

Christa raises her head to Ymir, a small but meaningful smile on her face. "I told you already, Ymir, no matter what happens, I will always be your ally!"

* * *

_Joshua_

"Let's get them!" Some of the Scouts take off from their horses, engaging the Armored Titan. Hannes tries to attack the leg, breaking his blade in the process, while another is taken out by Ymir, back inside her Titan. Suddenly, her Titan cries out as smoke erupts from her eyes. _Mikasa… She struck Ymir. _With murderous intent, she heads down on Bertholdt, but the boy quickly finds shelter in Reiner's hand.

"Mikasa, get out of there! Fall back!" She doesn't listen as she dodges Ymir's punch. Equipping fresh blades, I see her decision about Ymir has been made. And I have made mine. As she begins to descend on Ymir's right eye, I interfere, blocking her attack before she makes the critical mistake of hurting Christa. Separating, I land on Ymir's head, Mikasa on Reiner's. Turning to Christa, I check her out. "You alright?"

"Yes. Mikasa, don't kill Ymir!"

"That all depends on Ymir! What will it be? I'll kill everyone that gets in my way, so choose!"

"No, wait! Ymir will be killed unless she does what Reiner and Bertholdt say! She doesn't have a choice!"

"There's only so many lives that I actually care about. My enemies made deciding that easy six years ago. So, you're mistaken to seek any compassion from me. Because right now, I'm all out of time and room in my heart to care. Christa...do you pick Eren or Ymir? Which is it? Will you get in my way, too?" At Mikasa's threat, Ymir roars and prepares to attack.

"No, Ymir. Leave it to me." I stand up, placing my sword in front of Christa as I stare up to Mikasa. "She can kill you...but even if she tried, she couldn't kill me." I return the same glare Mikasa gave Christa. Just as she was determined to put down Ymir for Eren's sake, I'll put her down for Eren, Christa, and Ymir's.

"Joshua…"

"What are you doing, Joshua!"

"I made a promise a long time ago to Ymir, to protect Christa when she couldn't. That's what I'm doing right now! But I also made one to you!" I point a blade at her. "To watch your back whenever you become a mess! Now, Mikasa, we can do this the hard way. You are tougher and better than me, but we both know that if it came down to it, I will win. So let's object to the easy way, to who our true enemy is! They're not in front of you, but you stand on his head!" I sheathe my blades, softening my face as I fly up to her and hold her shoulder. " If this was Eren right now, and Christa was in your place, would you not do the same? If you won't take Christa's word that Ymir is not the enemy, will you take mine, the one who you trust as much as Eren and Armin?"

She closes her eyes, relenting. "...And if you're wrong?"

"I'll kill the bitch myself. I'll leave you her head. Come on, let's get Eren." We swing around to the other side, joining the rest of our class around Reiner's hands and neck. I look up to Reiner, his face forward as he continues to run.

"Quit it, Eren! Don't struggle!" Bertholdt's voice...still pathetically wimpy after what he pulled off.

"Good luck with that, Bertholdt. It's impossible to get him to calm down. He's the most irritating guy there is! I know better than anyone! I hate him as much as you do. So let's beat him up together. Why don't you come out of there?" Damn Jean, I might have gained a new respect for you.

"Bertholdt! Give him back!"

"Hey… You're kidding, right? Bertholdt? Reiner? This whole time...you kept quiet and deceived us? That's so cruel!"

"You guys! Tell us it's all a lie!"

"Yes, please tell us you're lying...because if you're not, we shall find out if Titans have a weak spot in their ass!"

"Hey, hey, hey, you think you guys can keep running away? That's not gonna happen! For three years, didn't we sleep under the same roof as comrades through thick and thin? Bertholdt, you odd sleeping positions were truly an art form. After a while, we all looked forward each morning to seeing your pose and tried using it to predict the weather. But you… To think you, the invader...could sleep like a log...right next to your victims!"

"Was everything just a lie? Remember we talked about surviving this together? And that we'd grow old, and someday we'd all go out for drinks together? Was everything...all a lie? Was it?! You guys, what were you guys thinking this whole time?"

"What does it even matter anymore?" Mikasa breaks the reunion the only way she can. "Just focus on cutting open his neck. If you hesitate for a moment, we won't be able to get Eren back. They are enemies of humanity. That's all there is to know."

"No, Mikasa, there's one more thing to know." I look down to Reiner's hands. I remember one thing I never told the other cadets at Utgard Castle, the truth about Annie. For all they know, she's being tortured as we speak. "I wonder...if they will scream too."

"T-Tell me who!" Bertholdt exclaims. "Who the hell would want to kill people by their own choice? Who the hell would like doing this sort of thing? Do you think I wanted to do this? People hate and despise us. We've done such terrible things, we deserve to die. Things we'll never be able to take back...but...we just...couldn't come to terms with our sins. The only time we had some respite...was when we pretended to be soldiers. That's not a lie! Conny! Jean! It's true we may have deceived everyone, but it's not all a lie! We really considered you comrades! Neither of us have any right to even apologize. But...someone...please… Someone, please… Someone find us!"

"Bertholdt," Mikasa says as calmly as she can, "give Eren back."

"It's no use… I can't. Someone has to be the one to do it. Someone has to be the one to stain their hands with blood."

"You guys," we heard Hannes call to us, "get away from there!" Seeing him look ahead, I turn to Reiner's front.

"Holy hell! Move out!" I and the other cadets leap off Reiner back to our horses, looking with differing levels of awe, confusion, and fear as our crazy-ass Commander Erwin leads a horde of Titans our way.


	23. Betrayal: Nameless Hero

"All soldiers, disperse! Get far away from the Titans!" He didn't need to command that, half of us were already ahead of him. Between the Titans already chasing us and those the commander were leading, it is an easy decision to make. As we move out the way, I turn back to see if everyone is okay. All non-Titan cadets of the 104th are-where the hell is Christa? I look back to the Titan gathering around Reiner and Ymir, not missing the sight of the blonde hanging to her friend's hair. If Ymir can protect Christa for a moment longer…

We settle on a hill, watching the carnage unfold. The Titans attacking Ymir and Reiner, one able to fight, the other with his arms tied protecting the shifters. I look down to the commander a few horse-steps away from me, wondering how he came up with this plan. However it was born, it is working to slow Reiner down. What is next?

"What's going on?" Jean says. "Is this hell?"

"No," Erwin says as he rides past Jean, "but it will be!"

I frown. "What is he doing?"

Erwin draws a blade in his right hand. "All soldiers, charge!" You can imagine the shock around the Scouts (and whatever Military Police and Garrison remains) as Erwin tells us to advance. It is a deathwish. It will be a massacre. There is no way he can seriously be ordering this. "The fate of humanity will be determined at this very moment! There is no future where humanity can inhabit these lands without Eren! We recover Eren and immediately retreat!" He hits his heart then points forward. "Give your heart!"

Mikasa is the first to gallop after Erwin, of course. "Ah, what the hell?" I follow after her, and soon the others. _This is crazy. This is crazy. This is fucking crazy! _As we come closer, I look up to Reiner, seeing him unfold his arms to fight off the Titans, therefore exposing Bertholdt and Eren. "There!"

"It worked!" Jean shouts. "His hand's gone!"

"Now's our chance!"

"Hey, Mikasa? Can't you see all those Titans? How do you plan on getting through that mess? You'd have to slip through a horde of 'em."

"She has me, Jean." Mikasa looks back to me while I smirk up to her. "I'll keep them off you. Jean, you follow closely. Whatever we do, we must get Bertholdt to release Eren!"

"Advance!"

"Yes, si-" Before I can even finish that, blood floats in the space where Commander Erwin sat. I gasp in shock as we see a Titan hold him by his arm in his mouth, halting our advance. "Commander Erwin!" I half turn my horse around to help him, I have to. I owe everything the last month to him. Letting me go on missions with the Scouts as an honorary member, him trusting me with the identity of the Female Titan and telling Section Commander Miche about Stohess. "I'll get him, you guys-"  
"ADVANCE!" Erwin still commands us even in his perilous position. Does he know he could die here, and leave us without his leadership? "Eren is just ahead! Advance!" _Even at the cost of his own life...he commands us to go forward. Towards our freedom. Towards our destiny. Towards our victory._

"You heard him!" We continue forth towards hell, and hell it is. I follow Mikasa via ODM, only severing finger and arms of the Titans who try to reach for her or the other cadets. Not everyone in our collective group is as lucky, for I hear the cries of death from many soldiers behind us. "Keep going Mikasa!" I tell my friend. She nods as we come out of the attacking horde, closing in on Reiner. Immediately she takes off for Bertholdt and Eren, missing the former's head by a hair as he ducks underneath her blades. Distracted, she is too late to notice the Titan that reaches for her, resulting in her capture. She cries out as that ugly, smiling Titan lowers its hand down. I could reach her, but I'm heading for Bertholdt and someone else is closer.

"Mikasa! You piece of shit! Let her go!" Jean comes to Mikasa's rescue, cutting the Titan's eyes and forcing the Titan to release her. I sigh in relief and in remorse for Jean as I swing around to Reiner's back, allowing two Scouts to distract the enemy as I come close.

"We've come this far already," Bertholdt says as he steps into Reiner's hand. "We're taking Eren home with us. We're going back to our hometown."

"Oh yes," I say venomously, catching Bertholdt's attention as I land on Reiner's neck, "you both are going home. I'll help you myself. Tell the devil I say hello." Bertholdt raises his sword against me, preparing to fight for himself. There it is, the confidence I helped instill in him. "Last chance, Bertholdt, give Eren back, I might let you live another day."

"No."

"Bertholdt!" Armin swoops in right above me, settling on Reiner's ear. I turn upwards, looking at the young, interrupting tactician. I don't know why he's here now, but the glint in his eye… I've never seen it before. The smile that comes with it...scares me more so than Mikasa has ever had. Is this Armin, the one who came to me to help him train? The same Armin I gave bread too? Where's...the humanity? "Are you two okay with this? Leaving behind your comrade and returning home?" Bertholdt reacts, losing his confidence at that moment. "You're abandoning Annie? You know where she's at? Far north, deep underground in the Utopia District...and being tortured. It was her screams that taught us something. That even with her body's healing, you can never get rid of the pain. They're taking special care to ensure she doesn't die. And as we speak, they're not giving her body any rest. They're torturing her every way they know how."

Holy shit, I think even Eren and I were scared.

"You spawn of the devil!" Bertholdt shouts. "I'll pulverize you!" Bertholdt leaps up to Armin, but before any of us could do anything, a shout and a slash on Bertholdt catches our attention. I look down, seeing that crazy son of a bitch commander of our growl with murderous intent. Eren, freed, falls down Reiner's arm to be caught by Mikasa _oh so romantically_. Erwin, Armin, and I fall down alongside Reiner's severed thumb, heading back to our horses in a hurry.

* * *

"All soldiers, retreat!"

I split up from Erwin and Armin in our haste, somehow coming up to Jean, Sasha, Conny, and Christa (grabbed by Conny). "Christa, you alright?"

"Joshua, tell them to let me go with Ymir!"

I turn around, looking to the small Titan shifter chasing us. I know her situation, but… "Christa, convince Ymir to come with us!"

"It's a lie! Of course that's a lie! She's lying to you!"

"Sasha is right," Conny agrees. "You think the one who fought like a maniac to save you would do something like that? The only time Ymir ever shows some effort is when you're in trouble. I don't know about getting her killed, but for now, just calm down."

"That's right," Sasha says. "If you two stay here any longer, there's a huge chance that you'll die and it'll only get worse!"

"You know, even an idiot could figure that out."

"Conny has a point, Christa." I look forward, trying to lead this group out of here. "If he can figure it out, you should have done so too. I should have too. I was willing to trust her as well. Now let's get-the HELL?" A Titan temporarily blocks the setting sun as it flies over the four of us, landing nearly a mile away in front of other retreating Scouts. The smoke and debris from it cloud the area, but that is the least of my concerns.

"What was that?"

"Reiner!"

"Ymir!" Christa's calls to our pursuer direct me to my left, where I see Ymir tackle a Titan that was thrown and started chasing the commander. "Conny, that way!"

"I know!"

* * *

"Sasha, Conny, do not stop. We must press on!" More Titans appear our way, with Ymir taking them down. She follows us, more so now to protect Christa.

"Christa!" I look to Conny, not seeing the girl behind him. I turn to my right, seeing her on Ymir's forehead.

"That's not right, Conny. My name is Historia. Hey, Ymir… Why was it you were trying to take me away? You said it was to save yourself, but was that a lie? No, it has to be. Why? Why did you do it?" Ymir answers in Titan-speak, but knowing her, the answer is obvious. "For me? To protect me again?"

"It's a Titan!" Conny alerts us, so I rise up to prepare to strike it down.

"Ymir, you're the one who said it, so listen to yourself! Stop living for other people! For now on, let's live for nobody but ourselves!"

"Conny, Sasha, I got this one!"

"Joshua, we're right behind you!" I turn to Sasha, nodding to her. I take off, darting for the closest Titan to us.

"It's strange… When I'm with you, no matter how screwed up it gets, I'm not afraid." I hear gas beside me, seeing Christa and the others alongside me. We manage to take out the Titan together, but others begin to head our way. We land by our horses, watching the incoming horde. Farther away, I can see Reiner's mobility increasing as he discards the last of the surrounding Titans away. People are dying. I'm separated from my friends. Where's Jean, Armin, Mikasa, Eren? Are they caught up in this mess?

All I know is that the five of us, even Ymir, is in danger. I grip the necklace around my chest, hard enough to hurt my palm. I cannot ask them to join me. I cannot ask them to fight with me for their lives. Someone must get away, someone must live. Conny must get the truth of his hometown. Sasha must return to her father. Ymir and Christa...they need each other. If they are to get away... "Damn it all."

"Joshua!" I turn to Sasha, sitting on her horse. Conny is on his while Christa rides Ymir. "Come on!"

"Sasha…" I get on my horse, but instead of turning in the direction away from the Titans, I face them. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

I reach into my pocket, taking out the notebook Thomas gave me. "Do me a favor...hold on to this for me. And this too." I take off the necklace Mina gave me and hand both objects to Sasha.

Unlike me, she doesn't fight back her tears. "What are you doing?"

"There's too many of them for us to run away from, and...even though she can handle it, I don't want Ymir to fight for me. Reiner...is right there. Conny!" I look to the bald-headed boy, allowing only one eye to cry. I made my decision for myself...it's stupid, so stupid, I'm becoming this idiot. "Get them home, no matter what. Promise me you don't let Sasha and Christa die!"

Conny looks to me to protest, but once he sees my resolve, he relents. "Sure."

"Good."

"No, not good!" Sasha grabs on to me, trying her best to convince me to retreat. "If you go that way, you'll… I don't want you to die."

"Sasha." I grab her, holding her for what could be the very last time. "I promise you, I'll live...as long as you believe I am, I will never die." I pull her away, unable to contain my tears. "The next time we meet, we should go hunting, yeah?"

"...Yeah, but...I-"

"Go. Whatever words you have to say… I know. I do too." I smack her horse, sending it galloping away. She calls out to me, but Conny drives her forward. I turn away from them, looking forward to the coming Titans. I glance to Christa and Ymir, nodding to them. "Go, I got this. Ymir, for a moment longer, protect Christa. And Christa…protect Ymir for as long as you can."

"Joshua." I look to the golden-haired goddess, watching her salute me. "Come back, please."

I imitate her. "See you later, Historia." I snap my horse's reins, charging solo to the horde that chases us.

* * *

_Conny, Christa, Jean, Ymir… The last three years have been fun. The last month, not so much, but through it all, we stuck together. I hope you guys can get away and finish this fight._

As I approach, I load my gun with a flashbang and fire it towards the pack, blinding the bastards with yellow light as I prepare my ascent.

_Eren, Mikasa, Armin… You guys kept me alive, but I am sorry that I cannot go further with you. Eren, Armin, you two are my brothers, Mikasa, my sister...and for the love of heaven, do not let Eren get away. Take back our home. Make it to the ocean. That is where our freedom lies._

Two down, I dash around to a third, but it grabs my line and snaps it in two. Another nearly grabs me, but I push the hand back, breaking a blade in the process. No point of attacking. Landing on my back, I try my best to stand as that Titan reaches downs and grabs me. So this is the end, huh?

_Life is hell from day one. The strong eat the week. It's very simple, really._

As it raises me up, I wriggle my arms for my belt. While I do that, I look to the distance, seeing Reiner's Titan free itself. The Scouts and our allies are being killed one by one. A familiar Titan in the distance, one described to me by Eren, is feasting on someone. Eren? Mikasa? It is near their position… I turn away. No, I cannot cry. Not like this. "Reiner… We're not done, but if we are, I'll see you in hell. Mom, Dad...welcome me back. And you, you damn Titan, swallow me whole!"

_Sasha… I never got to think of Mina like this, I was never given the chance. But as my final thought… Everything I said yesterday to you is how I feel. You've been my constant companion, my shoulder to hold my troubles on. You...kept me happy after Trost. You've showed me how to hunt, spoke to me in your native tongue, and been the best person to have a meal with. I leave what I cherish most with you because outside of my family, you are who I cherish most. That's because... _"I do love you." Closing up my right hand, I cut the Titans fingers with my left-hand blade and free-fall into the Titan's mouth whole.

First, there's darkness, then a blinding light.

* * *

_Eren_

"Eren."

"Nothing's changed! You haven't changed one bit, dammit! You're still as useless as you ever were! Nothing's changed!" Eren screams his heart out as he folds himself on the ground, angry at himself for failing to save someone dear to him again to the same Titan that haunted him for years. First, his mother, now Hannes. "Mom… I can't… I can't do anything at all."

"Eren." Eren raises up, looking to Mikasa who sits beside him. Crossing an arm across her chest, she leans closer to Eren with a sad smile. "That's not true."

"What?"

Tears swell in Mikasa's eyes as she continues. "Eren, listen… I need to tell you something. You've always...been at my side. Thank you. You showed me...how to live with purpose. Thank you. And you…" She tugs at the red scarf around her neck, her cheeks turning red as well. "You wrapped this scarf around me. Thank you."

Eren looks at Mikasa with wide eyes, not knowing what to say. However, seeing Mikasa like this, bearing her heart out to him...it snaps a switch inside him, one he knows that been there but he kept shut all this time. He stands up and takes a step in front of her, facing his mother's killer as it finishes its meal of Hannes. His fingers are all but gone for now, he doesn't know what to do, but he knows one thing: He must protect Mikasa. He looks to her, a frown on his face as he prepares to sacrifice himself for her. "I'll wrap that around you...as many times as you want." He looks away as the Titan reaches for him and stands his ground, quickly regenerating his fingers. "Now and forever… As much as you want!" Eren turns around, punching the hand of the Titan.

A weird sensation courses through him, but what happens secondly is just as weird. As Eren swings a second time, a Titan leaps over Mikasa and Eren, lunging itself at the Titan Eren struck. Soon afterward more Titans come, ignoring the humans across the plains for Eren's target. Not hesitating, he grabs Mikasa on his back and begins to run.

"Why...are they…? They're eating it?" Eren and Mikasa look to the sudden attack of the Titans on the Titan that killed his mother and Hannes. All he did was punch its hand, and the current hell broke loose.

To his left, he sees Reiner approaching. "Get away from me! You bastards! I kill you all!" Suddenly the Titans eating his mother's killer turns tail and heads for Reiner and Bertholdt without attacking anyone else. "What? The Titans?"

"Eren!" Armin rides up on his horse to the pair, an unconscious Jean on his back. Jean's horse is held by Armin until he throws the reins to Eren. "Get on!"

"Armin!'

"Hurry!"

* * *

_Historia_

"Ymir!" The Titan stops and turns around in place, throwing their retreat off. Historia believes she knows what Ymir is thinking but…

"Hey, ugly! What are you doing? We're heading back!" Ymir turns her head to Historia, then reaches over and softly caresses her head.

"I'm sorry."

Historia's face falls. "Huh?" Ymir says nothing else, turning away and heading for the Titans. "Ymir! Where are you going?"

"Leave her!"

"But Ymir is-"

"She, like Joshua, is giving us a chance to run. I don't like it any more than you do...but that's how it is! We must go!"

* * *

_Armin_

In that moment, I couldn't understand the motivation behind Ymir's actions, but the Armored Titan didn't pursue us any further. But knowing that we lost Hannes, someone who has always watched out for us, and Joshua, someone who inspired us in our rough times, it hits hard on me, Mikasa, and Eren. His sacrifice, I couldn't understand…

"_Eren?" Mikasa finds Eren alone in a room, flipping the pages through a small notebook. He looks to Mikasa, as he looks back down. She steps inside to him, recognizing the book as Joshua's. "Is that…"_

"_Yeah. He gave it to Sasha, she gave it to me, saying this at least belongs to us three." He places it in his pocket. "We can read it later… Where's Armin?"_

We weren't the only ones to take Joshua's fall hard. I heard Section Commander Hange shot out of her bed to beg Erwin to let her search for him, but that request was denied. Historia didn't say much on it, but with her missing Ymir as well, I know it must've taken a toll on her. As for Sasha, Jean, and Conny… We waited a full day to see if anything would change.

"_He never came back," Conny says as he walks behind Sasha and beside Jean, his head down. With news that the residents of the town were indeed the Titans they thought breached the Walls, he has a lot on his mind._

"_Honestly, I'm not holding out much hope."_

"_Joshua will come back!" Sasha pauses in front of them, keeping her tear-wet face from the boys. "Definitely… I know he will."_

Honestly… I believe Sasha is right, that he is out there, waiting on us. Something about having a goal keeps a person alive. Eren was ingested, yet his goal kept him alive. But...no, Joshua is out there, his goal lives in us. For him, we'll bring Reiner down and take back our home. We'll make it to freedom. We'll make it to the ocean.

Two days have now passed. "Armin." I look up, seeing Eren and Mikasa walk along the Wall to me. I stand as they pause right beside me, looking out to the horizon. We stand silent for a moment before Eren speaks again. "It isn't gone. Our hope did not fall with Joshua. We'll bring back our home...for him."

Mikasa nods. "For Joshua."

I nod, then look down to the land. "For Jo-"


	24. Interlude: Red Swan

**In the near five years I've been writing, I have killed and "killed" many characters, but this is the first time I've ever taken out the protagonist. I did not expect you guys to actually question if Joshua would live since I did say I'll take this story to Season 3, but then I realize I never said Joshua will make it to Season 3. I just know that I would go beyond that of the game's ending, which is what I adapted into this story last chapter.**

**But I am glad you like him as a character. I think, out of the three times I used OCs, this is my favorite iteration of "Joshua." Maybe I'm blinded by my love of AoT, but I love him too. ****Anywho, thanks for all the reviews and messages over the last week. Yes, this story is continuing to the end, now that we're done with the game in some respects. This chapter is more filler than progression, the next chapter will officially begin the next arc. **

**I heard that some people thought Season 2 was slow, but I'll be honest, Season 3 Part 1 initially left me wanting. The only part that really held my attention was, of course, Levi versus the Interior Police in Trost, and the two moments with Reiner and Bertholdt. I wasn't happy that Part 1 ended on the note it did because I didn't even know it was Part 1, especially with the tease it did in the credits. I thought it was just Season 3. However, now that I've rewatched it and it is completely written, I do appreciate it.**

**I kept you here long enough. See you guys next chapter!**

* * *

_We believed that there is an ocean beyond the Walls. That our freedom truly begins once we make it there. That it would mean I have avenged my parents, killed the Armored Titan, retaken my home, and can finally live my life with my friends._

_How wrong we were._

* * *

_Armin_

"Armin." I look up, seeing Eren and Mikasa walk along the Wall to me. I stand as they pause right beside me, looking out to the horizon. We stand silent for a moment before Eren speaks again. "It isn't gone. Our hope did not fall with Joshua. We'll bring back our home...for him."

Mikasa nods. "For Joshua."

I nod, then look down to the land. "For Jo-" I look down, squinting my eyes as I spot a brown dot fifty meters below us. It forms the shape of a horse with a green cloak on its back. On that cloak… Mikasa must've seen it too as she's first down the Wall, followed by Eren. I dash after them, landing on the ground and breaking into a run as the horse pauses. Mikasa holds the animal as Eren and I take the unconscious hooded rider, lowering him or her to the ground. I raise my hand to the hood, hesitating, not wanting to get my hopes up. "Eren...you do it."

Eren looks to Mikasa to see her nod her cupped head, and he lowers the hood. "...No way…"

"It's...a miracle."

Mikasa kneels down with us, her eyes pouring tears as she tightly holds the returned Scout and their beloved friend. "You made it."

"...Damn right I did…."

* * *

_In a slightly crazy dreamworld_

"What took you two so long? We're going to be late!" I stand outside the Jaeger residence, my arms folded as Mikasa and Eren walk out their house in quite the hurry. They run past me as Eren continues to put his uniform on, so I chase after them.

"Eren overslept."

"As usual."

"Where's Armin?"

I sigh. "I couldn't convince him it is springtime, so I let it go."

"Ah, come on!" Eren shouts to the heavens. "I can't be late on our first day! Hey, Mikasa, I need you to swear you caught me drooling in my sleep!"

"I swear. I won't tell anyone you put your pants on backward either. Well, except for Joshua."

"Ah! Don't remind me! And you swear too!"

I look down, seeing Eren's pants are indeed on backward. "Oh, I'll swear to keep this to myself as well, and why were you drooling? Hey, Eren, look ou-" Too late. In his embarrassment, Eren doesn't see the young blonde girl he crashes into. We rush up to them, Mikasa checking up on Eren while I go to the cute girl. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yes, I am fine."

"My bad," Eren says as he helps the girl to her feet and I pick up her bag. "I was in a hurry."

"Uh, that's okay. I guess I was, too. Hm? Oh no, my breakfast!"

I reach into my bag, taking out a grilled cheese sandwich. "Here, you can have mine. I have another one, so no worries."

The girl smiles as she takes the sandwich happily. "Thank you."

"Hold up, Romeos! Bumping into my precious Christa while she has toast in her mouth and giving her your breakfast so you've got an excuse to put the moves on her?" The new person, a medium-toned girl with brown hair and is a little shorter than I am, splits us from this Christa. Eren and I fall back to Mikasa.

"What 'moves,'" she says under her breath.

After throwing my sandwich back at me, the second girl begins to lovingly hug the first. "Everything's gonna be all right, sweetie-pie. Whaddya say we get married after the entrance ceremony?" Oh.

Eren steps forward, handing Christa something in her hand. "Have breakfast on me, okay?"

"Keep your filthy hands off her!"

"Guess I'll see you around!" We continue our mad dash to school, ignoring the shouts of the taller girl. I look at my watch, seeing we have ten minutes to get to our new school.

"We better hurry!"

"Joshua," Mikasa says. "You...got something underneath your nose."

"Huh?" I wipe my upper lip, seeing pale streaks of red on it. "Blood...oh."

"Are you okay?"

"It's just a small nosebleed, nothing to worry about."

"C'mon!" Eren shouts at us. "Pick up the pace!" I agree with him, but in his hurry, he crashes into another person. Stopping again, we see it is another girl, wearing the same uniform as Mikasa and the other girls.

"Ah! My watermelon!"

"You eat that for breakfast?"

Eren hands her something. "Sorry! My fault! Here, take this!" Eren gets up and continues running with Mikasa behind him. I linger a moment longer to see the girl open her palm, revealing a sticker with Eren and Mikasa on it. He still have those thing?

The redhead girl jumps up, shouting at the retreating Eren. "This doesn't buy me another watermelon!"

"Eren, you dummy. Here." I hold out my extra grilled cheese sandwich. "You can get him later, but this should pay for my friend's idiotic nature."

She turns around, looks to the sandwich, then to me, then to the sandwich again. "Really?: she says sweetly as her face glows up… It's so cute. "Thank you!" She takes the sandwich and runs along. Not knowing where to go now, I find myself instinctively following the redhead girl, taking out my spare sandwich..

"Hey, uhh, you're a student at TAttack Junior High School too?"

She nods as she cutely nibbles on her sandwich. "Yeah. First year. You the same?"

"Yes."

"That's great! My name is Sasha!"

She holds her hand out for a shake, so I take it. "Joshua."

"So those two, the ones you were with, they're friends of yours?"

"From the elementary school days, yeah. We go way back. There's four of us, but...he's weird about the weather. I wonder where they went... Oh, there they are." I see Eren and Mikasa positioned in a courtyard, but we're not the only ones here.

"You dirty SOB!"

"Ymir! Slow down!"

"You owe me another watermelon, pal!"

"What's going on?"

"This is it," Eren points heroically, "Attack Junior High School!" My mouth drops at the sight of the huge wall. This is just the entrance, right?

"It's gigantic," one of the new boys say, a bald-headed kid.

A bell rings, springing Eren to his feet. "Oh crap! We're late!"

"Uh oh," Christa says as we begin to rush within the wall.

"What about my watermelon!"

"Sasha, I think that can wait."

* * *

"Uh, so… Anyone else feels like something is off."

Let's see. The entire hallway is gigantic, even by human standards. No, gigantic is the wrong word. Let's try...Titanic. Even by my height, I can skim the ceiling with my fingers if I try hard enough at home, but the ceiling of the hallway is so far up it might as well be the sky. The windows are too high, the doors are enormous. I believe Jean is onto something.

"No," Eren says. "What are you talking about?"

"Seriously? Nothing about this place strikes you-"

"Ah, there we are! Year 1, Class 4. That's us!" We lined up to the door, which may I remind you, is astronomical in its size. We barely come up to the grates.

Conny sighs. "Please tell me whoever expects us to open this door off their rocker. Cause otherwise, I'm just too thick to see-"

"Will you just shut up and help us think of something?"

"Over there." Following Mikasa's directions, we spot a door big enough for our entry. Eren enters first, leading us to a dark room with, as far as we can see, no one inside.

"Uh, we might be the first ones here?"

"This still doesn't feel weird to you?"

"Ugh! Why is everyone so-PAH!" Eren falls on the ground, knocked down by an eraser that's his size. Wait, hold on… A human-sized eraser? Where in the world could someone hold that, even Eren struggles to lift it off him.

Still, I cannot resist making fun of Eren. "You okay, Eren? You almost got erased."

"It's about to be a rubber stamp!"

"Stop," Mikasa commands him. "You need to calm down. Something's definitely not right."

"Ugh! Stop being so paranoid-PAH!" A green triangle thing called a set-square lands on Eren's head, somehow stuck in it on one of the points. He runs around like a maniac until his feet lifts him above the ground. We gasp as he realizes his position, looking down on us in confusion. "What's going on?"

"T-T-T-Titan!"

Eren drops down on his butt while the Titan reaches for its eraser. Getting up, he angrily shouts "I will erase every one of their kind!" before the Titan throws its eraser back at Eren...and more school supplies at us.

"What is this? What's happening?"

"Don't you get it? We've wandered into one of their classrooms!"

* * *

_Days later, i__n a slightly more realistic world_

"Cheese...hamburg...steak…" I wake up slowly, blinded by a bright white light before the rest of my surrounding came into view. A bedroom, probably in one of the military barracks. I raise my right arm up, seeing my arm wrapped in a bandage, along with most of my torso. I feel sore more than in immobilizing pain, my muscles do bear a heavy weight on me.

Wait, no, that weight is not truly mine. I turn around and gaze upon a second body laying across mine. The person, just based on what my left elbow feels, in indeed a woman's, the mess of red hair on my shoulder leaving it now to one person...well, it could be the other, but that would be a major mess if I woke up to find myself in the same bed as the Section Commander.

Wait, why is Sasha in my bed? How did I get here?

I remember… _"Sasha…" I get on my horse, but instead of turning in the direction away from the Titans, I face them. "I'm sorry."_

_"What?"_

_I reach into my pocket, taking out the notebook Thomas gave me. "Do me a favor...hold on to this for me. And this too." I take off the necklace Mina gave me and hand both objects to Sasha._

_Unlike me, she doesn't fight back her tears. "What are you doing?"_

_"There's too many of them for us to run away from, and...even though she can handle it, I don't want Ymir to fight for me. Reiner...is right there."_

_"If you go that way, you'll… I don't want you to die."_

_"Sasha." I grab her, holding her for what could be the very last time. "I promise you, I'll live...as long as you believe I am, I will never die." I pull her away, unable to contain my tears. "The next time we meet, we should go hunting, yeah?"_

_"...Yeah, but..."_

_"Now go. Whatever words you have to say… I know. I do too."_

"Sasha." I reach over, letting my fingers flow in her hair as I reveal her face. Thankfully it is Sasha sleeping peacefully beside me, but that's when I notice a plate of food beside her, mostly untouched. I look to the plate in confusion. Sasha never leaves food behind, not even a crumb. She will lick a plate clean if needs be to consume all, so to see this… I must have worried her in my slumber.

I wonder how long was I out. All I remember is arriving here on horseback, then Eren and company meeting me at the Wall outside Trost. That's it. Of course, that doesn't include me surviving inside a dying Titan's mouth for hours. Doing that was no easy feat, I tell you. Flinging one of those new explosives down a Titan's gullet was so risking I'm surprised I wasn't caught in the blast. Of course, I was knocked out then, but once I came too, all the Titans were wiped out. I spent the rest of the day traveling back to Wall Rose, somehow making it without passing out. I am happy I'm alive. So many died that day just to rescue Eren, and I made it.

"Josh?" I must have tuned out the world because Sasha's voice brings me back. My eyes look to her light brown pupil, and I remove my arm that still is caressing her hair. I smile as she raises off my body, blushing as she realizes our precarious position. She's clothed in her uniform, so nobody should think anything happened.

"Hey."

"How… How long you've been up?"

"Just woke up, honestly. I feel like a fallen angel cast away by the wind." I push myself up to sit up, ignoring my soreness. "I had this weird dream about us cadets going to school with Titans, which means my subconscious needed to be put to rest."

Sasha adjusts herself to sit alongside me on the head of the bed. "Really?"

"Yeah. It was weird meeting everyone in such a different way. Eren bumped into our group while everyone else we met in class. Shadis was our instructor again."

Sasha's face deepens into pure horror. "Don't tell me…"

I nod. "You did it again."

"No! Can you please forget that?"

"No can do, Potato Girl. But I tell you this, Eren had this obsession with Cheese Hamburg Steaks, which I haven't eaten in years. The Titans were just bullies who ate our lunches."

"Somehow that makes them even worse."

"Yeah. Anyway…" I lean my head back, then turn to Sasha again, meeting her eyes again. "I met Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner again, and this being my dream, you'll think I'd hate them off the bat. But… I didn't happen that way. We were...friends again. Thomas and Mina too, you'll think our closeness would show itself in the dream, but rarely did I interact with them. That is still weird to this moment because I really...did like Mina. Thomas was such a great friend. But the first person I met outside of Mikasa and Eren that I formed an instant bond with was the other Titan shifters, or Thomas and Mina, not even Marco, but it was our group...specifically, you. I gave you a sandwich this time."

I see Sasha on the verge of tears before she leans into me, wrapping her arms around my abdomen while her head rests on my shoulder. "I did partially think you were dead, but I was adamant you were indeed alive. I didn't let anyone tell me otherwise. But when Armin and the others told me you were back, I didn't believe it. I thought it a prank, but Armin, Mikasa, they don't do pranks, do they? So I waited outside that door for hours until I was able to see you, then waited in her until you were to wake, Everyone came, even the lieutenant. I think he likes you."

"Well, I like being under Hange's direct command. Speaking of which, how long was I out?"

"Today is the second day since your return. It's been five days since the 'breach' began. I think eight since the expedition. Such a hectic week, huh?"

Hectic indeed. Eight days ago, I had my first official mission as a Scout, my fourth overall. That means Stohess was six days ago...rest already dated. Eight days...I have nearly died six times. That must mean I'm due a promotion. I move away to the edge of the bed, placing my feet on the ground and working my sore calves and thighs to stand up. Sasha is immediately at my side to help me if needed, but I manage. Stretching my limbs and digits, I look to my friend's still untouched place, my stomach reminding itself that it is barren. "Are you going to eat that?"

She hesitates as she walks back to pick up the plate, resigning to letting me have it as she gestures me to a table beside the window. We take the two seats beside the small table and sit in silence. I eat while Sasha looks solemnly out the window. Something is on her mind, yet who doesn't have anything to think about. So much to happen in so little time, I'm glad I did get some rest. No telling how the others have been since the rescue.

"The 104th, besides you I guess and a few others, are under Captain Levi's command. Pretty much our group, that's all."

"So you're the new 'Levi Squad,' huh? That's cool."

"Yeah. We set out tomorrow for some hiding place, I don't know, but I do know we're protecting Eren and Christa. Historia. What do we call her?"

"She did tell Conny 'Historia' so we will have to get used to it. And what are we protecting them from? I get Eren, the government wants their hands on him, but Historia? She's a child of some lord turned into a soldier."

"She's Lord Reiss' illegitimate child, she told us. Her family has prestige too, so there's a chance they know some secrets, and if it means taking Historia to keep those secrets, they will. Historia herself is changed. With Ymir gone, she's become quite reclusive."

"Hm." I push the empty plate away, gazing out the window as well. "Well, knowing our luck, our squads will see much of each other, so it isn't like I won't see you guys. But I do want to get out and about." I look to Sasha, noticing something around her neck. It is my necklace Mina gave me that I told Sasha to 'hold onto' when I charged to my avoided doom. I reach over, holding the carving of the Wings of Freedom in my hand.

"I'm surprised this hasn't broken yet."

"It is made of sturdy wood. Mina chose well."

"Yeah… Keep it."

Sasha's eyes widen in rejection. "But, Joshua, this is-"

"The only thing I have to remember Mina by, well, no, I have a journal. I write to them both nearly every day, which I need to catch up on. As for the necklace, it looks astronomically better on you. Since we're...something now...right?"

"A something?"

"Two peas in a pod? Apple and orange? Steak and potatoes? Help me out here."

Sasha takes my outstretched hand and places it over her heart. "I think 'Sasha and Joshua' fit us better than any combination of food. As long as you stop trying to die, that is."

"I don't try."

"You aren't very good at it. But seriously, for my sake, never again pull off such a stunt. You have to live and get back to Shiganshina. You owe that to yourself. Even after that, you don't have my permission to die until you're old and withered.

I smile, then turn my head back to the outside world. "With that said, Sasha, you cannot die before I do. That's only fair."

* * *

In an hour, Section Commander Hange and her Executive Officer Moblit would come and visit me, seeing that I'm okay to return to their side tomorrow at my request. Afterward, the rest of my friends show up, expressing their happiness that I'm fine. We spend most of the day remaining together, trading stories of the last few days between the 57th Expedition and the battle at Utgard Castle since we were all separated one way or another. Eren returned my journal to me, saying it is a nice read to see my perspective on our experiences, even if it made me look like the hero. Jean made a retort of how useless Eren has been relative to most of us, and in traditional fashion, they argued. It almost felt like we were back to our old ways.

But there isn't a Reiner telling Jean and Eren how wrong they are. There's isn't a Bertholdt in Reiner's shadow. There isn't an Annie sitting in the corner, unable to converse with the rest of us because she doesn't know how to be comfortable with us. There isn't a Marco holding Jean back. There isn't a Ymir to hold Christa's hand and tell her to stop being so nice.

There's just this dream of an alternate reality, where we're junior high schoolers and we go to school with Titans. No death, no walls beside the one around the schools, no pain and major suffering. The Titans just want our lunch, we fight to protect it. But in that dream, I had those who I lost to betrayal.

So as I look out the window during the night, alone in my quarters, all I can think about is Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie. Three who deserve death more than anyone. But if I could raise my blade against them, would I bring it against their heart? Could I kill Reiner as I have sworn? Will I hate myself for taking his life, or will I feel anything but a sense of satisfied vengeance?

What's the lie? What's the truth? What to believe...in my life?

"Hey, Joshua." I turn around, seeing Eren standing halfway in my room. "Can we talk?"

"With me?" This is unusual. Not to say I could be alone with Eren, but if there was anyone who he spoke in private to, it would be Mikasa, Armin, or the three of us together. Exceptions made for when he was with Levi Squad when we were recruited after Trost, Eren rarely talks to me alone and away from Ackermann and Arlert. "Yeah, sure."

Eren walks in and closes the door. Together we sit at the table by the singular window, gazing to the moonlight. "What a wild week this has been."

"That seems to be the consensus today."

"In one week, we went from not knowing the enemy to knowing them pretty well. A week ago, Titans were monsters, now they're...us. Humans. Conny, I thought we could empathize but our people, our parents were eaten. His parents...the eaters." Eren rubs his forehead as he repeats everything I was told today. I believed Conny back at Utgard, but knowing the truth now is unbelievable.

I nod slowly. "We've been killing humans all this time, but do we regret it? We've wanted to kill all Titans and make it to some damn ocean, but we're not killing monsters, but our own people. Then there's...them. Three of them traitors, Ymir is Ymir."

"Yeah." Eren looks down to his hands, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "Hey… There's also a reason I wanted to talk to you. I can't go to Armin with this, and the other boys might just laugh at me, I know you have experience in _that_ department, so…"

I lean back, a short smile on my face. "Girl problems? Hit me."

"This isn't funny!"

"Oh, actually, I'm proud of you right now because I have a good idea who the girl is."

"Good grief." Eren rubs his forehead. "You already know." He looks to my ever-growing smile, much to his grief. "How long was I being an idiot?"

"Well, I've only known you for five years, she's known you a little longer. If I had to guess, probably whenever she first met you. Or whenever she became a woman. Girls get weird around that time. But she's never outright confessed it to me or Armin, so I know she had her way of saying it to you. How did she?"

Eren sighs. "Back at the rescue, when...she started to thank me for everything. Hannes had just died to the Titan that killed my mother, I couldn't transform, we both thought we were going to die, then… I'll wrap that scarf around her anytime."

"Wow," I say. "You are such a casanova, Eren Jaeger."

"Yeah, whatever. Ever since...it's been...well, not weird for her, I guess, but for me...what do I do?"

"Dude, she's been pining for you for years. This is normal life for her. You got to make the first move. Mikasa is a tough nut, but she's a girl, so she would like things girls like. Then again… I don't know what Sasha likes other than food, but that makes her simple."

"Indeed."

"Well, I think you got other things to worry about. I'm sure whatever Levi and Hange have in store for you takes precedence, so think on that. Mikasa will wait on you, stubbornly forever if that's what it takes to be at your side. Tell you what. Once we go home, once we make it to the ocean, once we gain our freedom, you tell her." I look to Eren's green eyes, shifting from uncertainty to determination.

"You're right. I think you are right. Thanks, Joshua." We look out the window, into the starry night.

"Eren...we'll see the end? Of all this?"

"No, Joshua. We'll be the end."

* * *

**I had watched Attack on Titan High School weeks before writing this chapter and thought it would be cool to have this alternate view of humanity and Titans somewhat coexisting (except when it comes to lunch) in this story. Joshua being knocked out presented the best timing.**

**See you guys next week!**


	25. Her Kingdom Come: Mysterious Murder

_A week later_

"How are you feeling?"

I place my hands in my pockets as I walk alongside the lieutenant and leader of my friends' squadron towards a small house in the middle of nowhere. "I'm feeling fine, more or less. The Section Commander hasn't overworked me too much the last few days preparing for Eren's experiment."

"That's good," he responds as he opens the door to the house. "Your rowdy friends will need your discipline." To prove his point, I catch a picture of the other cadets arguing amongst themselves except for Historia, who stands quietly by the door with wood in her hand. She's the only one to notice our arrival. "What's this commotion about?" Levi asks as he walks towards the interior of the house.

I stand beside Historia, nodding my greeting to her as Levi passes Eren (dressed as a maid as he was a month ago) to the large wooden table, listening to the others argue about food and stuff. Eren shudders as the lieutenant places a hand underneath the table, slides it a few inches, and analyzes his hand. "I'm _quite_ sure I gave you enough time." A collective groan comes from the assembled cadets while I do my best to stifle a laugh. Oh, they're in for it once we get back. "Anyways… We'll discuss your lax cleaning job another time. Eren. Hange is itching to get the experiment started."

"R-Right."

* * *

"That didn't last long." I sigh as Eren's Titan form collapses pitifully on the ground just seconds after his transformation. We're out in a secluded area so Eren can use his shifting ability and his ability to harden, but that's dashed in a matter of seconds.

"What's wrong, Eren?" Hange calls out from the cliff we, Moblit, Levi, Armin, and Historia stand upon. Get up! The future of humanity is riding on you! Get up, dammit!"

"Hey, four-eyes. He's not quite the same this time. He's not even ten meters, and some of his body doesn't have muscle. Plus, Eren's ass is hanging out."

"I can see that! Eren! Can you still move? Give us a signal or something!" _Shake that ass, Jaeger._ I snicker as Mikasa hops off her horse to go check on Eren. I hear Levi groan.

"Hey, that gloomy brat is acting on her own again. Time to think up punishment?"

"No there's no signal. We're done here!" Hange and Moblit head on down to extract Eren, though it seems something about Eren interests her for her to scream excitedly. Mikasa uses her sword to cut Eren's face free from the Titan's body, leaving us above with a view of Eren's disfigured face.

I guess he'll be alright. "What do you make of this, Lieutenant?"

"I guess we got a long road ahead of us before we can use the Titan hardening ability to seal the wall."

"Yes," Armin says, "I knew we'd be grasping at straws from the start."

"Strategically, it's not a bad plan. Instead of lugging tons of supplies, all we need is to get Eren there. Whether or not we're grasping at straws...all depends on Eren." Below, Hange gives us the order to retreat, so I wave farewell to Armin and Historia as he walks off. Levi turns to Historia as she takes her step. "You ride in the same wagon as Eren. I'm headed for Trost District with Hange's group."

"Okay."

* * *

_The next morning_

Hange possesses an extra pep in her step as the three of us walk to Pastor Nick's room in the barracks. I don't get why we continue to hold him here, but it isn't like he's trying to leave either. Maybe he has nowhere else to go. Anyway, my job is to make note of anything I find suspicious in Hange's talk with the former leader of Stohess' Church of the Wall, so I carry my journal with a bookmarked page far off from where I last made an entry of yesterday's failed experiment.

"What's this? I heard Hange say as we approach Nick's room. Two men, wearing jackets of the MP's, stand guard outside the room. I do not recall there being guards before, so my guess is as good as my superiors. So when Hange took a look for the minister and her eyes became mortified, I knew something was wrong.

"Hey!" one of the guards say pushing Hange back, "You'll disrupt the crime scene, you damn Scout!"

"Don't get any closer."

"This is our job, not yours."

The MP closes the door. "It's another robbery-murder. They've been springing up a lot lately." Robbery-murder? The pastor...is dead? Killed by who? Who is brave enough to come into a military establishment to rob and kill someone? Logically, something doesn't add up.

"Wha-? I'm not buying that! His nails were torn off!"

The taller of the two guards suddenly grabs Hange by her collar. "Which unit are you in?"

Moblit steps forward, gripping the man's arm with unbelievable strength. I've seen him worry for Hange so much that I initially believed he was her loyal lapdog, but as I spent time with him when we're spared from Hange's shenanigans (in the near two months I've been with the Scouts since my first mission, that is a rarity) I know him to still have his set of balls, on display right here. "Fourth Squad Section Commander Hange Zoë, Executive Officer Moblit Berner, and our assistant Joshua Hardin."

Moblit's release of the arm does nothing to quell the man's attitude towards us. "Your ranks mean practically nothing when your branch is the trash that it is. Listen here… It was no Titan that killed that man. A person killed another person. This work is out of your league."

"First Interior Squad," Hange says quietly, reading the lettering on the jacket above the left pocket."

"Why?" Moblit asks. "What's the capital's Military Police doing down south in Trost?"

"What's so strange about it?" _You weren't down here a month ago when Titans invaded, but here you are when a man of some importance is killed, _I think to myself. "Unlike you useless goons, us valuable soldiers are busy getting things done."

"Oh! So that's how it is!" Hange switches her tone to some form of false acceptance. "You're right, I'm worthless, really. I'm so lucky to meet great soldiers like you. Let me shake your hand!" Hange grabs the man's hand suddenly, but he doesn't retract. "I see… So poor Nick was robbed. Such a pity. Did he ever have stuff worth stealing in the first place?"

"Of course. Everyone knows the Church's trinkets are made from valuable iron."

"Huh? Nick was a pastor for the Order of the Walls?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He was a friend of mine on personal terms. But, as far as I knew the man, he was just a chair-maker. I even wrote that on his application here."

It seems the man is getting tired of Hange rubbing his hands. "Dammit, stop-"

"Though, I guess this only means I never knew Nick as well as I thought I did."

"Hey! Let go!"

Hange releases, falling back in "embarrassment". "Oh, I'm sorry! Forgive me!" She quickly salutes. "Well then, good luck with the investigation. When you capture the culprit, please tell them this: The things you did to him, perhaps you felt were righteous and just. But, personally, I couldn't care less about any of that. To you scoundrels, I will ensure you're tortured alive like my friend, and experience suffering above and beyond what you did to him. Yes, you'll be sorry!"

Yikes.

Dropping her stance, Hange turns on her heels. "Pass along that message. Excuse us." We depart from the guards, I send a final glance their way before we disappear around the corner. Out of earshot, Moblit opens his mouth.

"Section Commander, do you think they really-"

"Yeah. First Interior Squad, Djel Sannes. All the skin on his fist was split. Nick was tortured by the Interior Military Police and then murdered."

"But why?" I ask.

"Something tells me they didn't trust him to keep quiet anymore."

* * *

"I figured the Church would want to deal with Nick since he was cooperating with the Scouts. That's why I hid his identity and had him stay in the barracks, but… To think they would use soldiers to kill him… I was too careless. It's entirely my fault."

Silence befalls the large room before Armin speaks up. "The Military Police. Did they torture Pastor Nick just to find out what information he spilled to us?"  
"Most likely," Levi answers. "But it was the Interior Military Police, which means there's something more behind it. So, how many nails did Nick have ripped off?"

"Huh?"

"You saw, right? How many?"

"I only caught a glimpse of him, but all the nails I could see."

I concur her observation. "We could only see the back of one hand. I only caught a fleeting glance before the door was closed to us, so at least five were gone. Why?"

"People that talk, talk after one. If they don't, peeling more won't make a difference. Pastor Nick… I thought he was an idiot, but… He didn't turn away from what he believed, all the way till the end. In other words, they have no idea we've caught wind of the Reiss family. Though someone in the government is up to no good, and their eyes are fixed on us."

"Lieutenant Levi," a woman named Nifa calls to him as she walks inside the house, handing Levi a piece of paper. "A message from Commander Erwin. I went to tell him about Pastor Nick, but he sent me off with this."

Levi takes a few moments to read the letter before looking up. "Everyone, out. We leave now. Leave no trace we were here.

* * *

Search they may all they want, but the Military Police scouring the house for us Scouts are wasting their time. We observe their movements from the nearby cliffs, out of sight. Raising my rifle to my shoulder, I sigh as I stand with Conny and Armin watching the soldiers. "Too close."

"That was close. If we hadn't left right then, what would've happened to us?"

"But why? What would make Commander Erwin…"

"New orders came from the government," Levi says. "There's been a freeze on all Scout Regiment activity outside the wall. They're telling us to hand over Eren and Historia."

I frown. "So they know we know her real name."

"By the way, right after he gave me the message, the Military Police came for him."

"They're treating him like some sort of criminal!"

"Someone's not working from the shadows anymore. They're moving for all eyes to see."

"To go that far to protect the wall's secrets… What's more, why do they want us to hand over Eren and Historia? Not to kill, but for them to obtain?"

"Who knows? Anyways, it's clear the enemy is after these two. Loitering around here is dangerous. We're moving her and Eren to Trost District."

"Why?" Moblit asks. "That's the same place Pastor Nick was killed."

"It's worse to head towards the interior. With Trost in a panic, it should be easy to slip in. And if somehow it comes down to it, we can use these in the city." Levi reveals his ODM, which most of us are equipped with, even me. "Plus, not knowing the enemy puts us in a tough spot. We need to find out who's behind this. Hange, lend me some of your squad, Joshua included." I don't know why, but it feels good to be namely requested by the lieutenant more so than it feels good to be with my friends. Maybe it is because he now recognizes my skills, where back when I was an honorary Scout he was more worried about me dying.

"Of course. Alright, I'm going after Erwin. Moblit's with me. The rest of you will follow Levi."

"Roger." I look away as the conversation comes to an end, my eyes back on the soldiers searching the hideout. Something doesn't sit well about this situation, but whatever it is, we'll figure it out soon enough. As long as we protect Eren and Historia, nothing crazy should happen. We're long overdue for a break anyway.

I just know we won't be that lucky.

* * *

"Try not to walk in a cluster. We'll stand out. Eren and Historia, just walk normal." Back in Trost District the next day, us cadets (except for the real Eren and Historia) walk down a busy street. Jean and Armin, playing the roles of Eren and Historia, tag along in the back.

"Why is the royal family's flag hanging everywhere?" Conny inquires.

"Oh!" Sasha exclaims. "Today must be the anniversary of the King's coronation. Once a year, they hand out a haul of rations."

"Oh."

"Don't get any ideas, Sasha. Leave the potatoes for the civilians." I say to her jokingly. She groans, but it is worth it for making Conny and Jean snicker. Whatever lightens the mood for us.

"We'll begin handing out rations!" A MP officer says on a podium. "King Fritz has heard of Trost District's hardship and will donate the royal family's reserves! There's enough for everyone! Line up orderly!"

"What a King!" Sasha says as the civilians begin to assemble for their share of rations. "He sure is generous."

"He's got more than he knows what to do with. People are weak, especially when baited with food." I cough lightly as I follow Levi and Mikasa, possibly saying Sasha's name while doing so. We continue to walk for a few more moments in silence, allowing me to think about recent events. To be specific, what the government could want with Eren and Historia.

Eren, of course, has the Power of the Titans, but after the rescue mission, I fear there's more to it. A month ago, he was set to be executed...but if word got out he gained temporary control of the Titans, it would be reasonable that the government would want that power for themselves. But why Historia? She doesn't seem to know any secrets, else she would've spilled the beans by now. She's a lord's illegitimate child, so she doesn't have any social standing. The only thing we know of her is her true past and what Pastor Nick has said of her.

"Watch out! Behind us!" Surprised, we step out the way as a cart passes us. In the cart, two men grab Armin and Jean.

"Armi-I mean, Christa and Eren! They got snatched away again!" Looking to Levi, he nods to me and Mikasa, giving us the signal to head out. Since I have seniority over the others in my time as a Scout (plus between me and Mikasa, I'm more adept to leading the others) Levi nominated me to lead the cadets should we separate from him, with the younger Ackerman as my second.

"Everyone, let's go. We'll keep the cart in sight, but will not engage."

* * *

The five of us follow the cart to a warehouse along the edge of Trost. I share a rooftop window with Mikasa as we watch the situation from above. Believe me, it is one I'll always remember, but I'll be damned if I ever dream it. I know if I'm uncomfortable watching it from up high, Jean getting a closer-up is worse, and Armin, poor Armin, bless his soul.

"Yeah? You like that? Let me hear you moan. Well? How's that? Doesn't it feel good? I'm just dying to hear your cute little voice." Armin winces as girly as he can (which is not saying much), much to the creep's pleasure. "She's more muscular than I expected."

I turn away, leaning my back against the brick building. "We're never bringing up how girly Armin looks again. Never."

Mikasa nods. "We should update the lieutenant."

"You're right. Conny, Sasha, keep your eyes open...as best you can.." We zip over to the other side of the building, where Levi keeps watch on our surroundings. We land on our knees, kneeling to keep out of sight on the ground.

"How's it going inside?"

"If we don't hurry," Mikasa answers, "they'll see through Armin's disguise...and I feel bad for him."

"It's not pretty in there for him."

"I see."

"How's your leg? Any better?" I turn slightly to Mikasa. This is the first time ever I have seen her show concern for Levi. Of course, they're relatives somewhere on the family tree, but besides that, they never have shown much concern for one another. Then again...both are cold-hearted bastards. Mikasa is also the reason Levi hurt his legs weeks ago in our fight against the Female Titan.

"I can move well enough. It's not bad. More importantly, these kidnappers. They're nothing but amateurs. Why would they be using guys like this?" Levi stands up. "You can handle the rest on your own. I'm heading for Eren. Once you've dealt with the trash, come and meet up with me."

"Roger."

"One more thing… I'll tell you two, just in case. Tell Armin and the others, too."

* * *

A few minutes later, a new group of people arrive at the warehouse. Watching from the rafters after sneaking through the windows, we catch sight of this new group of men. One of them is awfully familiar...Oh!

_"Good timing," the merchant asshole says to Mikasa. "Make these morons push my wagon! I'll pay you handsomely."_

_"Right now, my comrades are dying back there. I can't help your crisis. They are dying from fighting Titans."_

_"Exactly! It is your duty as a soldier to die for the survival of the citizens! Don't get high on yourselves because of the safety we had for the past hundred years!"_

_If that set me off, I know Mikasa is just as triggered. She steps off the Titan and walks through the crowd, blades still are drawn. "I wonder if they understand the value of one person dying for the sake of someone else? At times, the death of one is necessary to save many."_

_The president apparently has friends as the step up to protect him as he threatens Mikasa. "Don't you dare! Your commander and I are old friends! One word from me and you'll be court-martialed!" The grunts come after Mikasa, only to meet my fists._

_Mikasa keeps on walking, barely acknowledging me as she steps up to the balding merchant. "How will a dead body speak? As Mikasa raises one of her swords, the merchant realizes that she is serious, and steps back as her blade come down._

_"Wait!" Mikasa's sword hovers just at his throat, the stare she gives daring him to make another threat. As he shakes, the merchant sighs and orders his men to remove the wagon, thus allowing the people to escape through the inner gate._

"You're sure, without a doubt, it's Christa and Eren?"

"Yes, they match the description."

"Huh? Where's the guard?" I smirk. He's already disposed of by Mikasa, who hides somewhere on the floor. She has my permission to initiate the attack whenever she-Oh, that's a brutal knee to the face. The third man of the group falls to the floor, then the last person is grappled to the ground. Surprised and scared, the man still with the merchant president pulls out a pistol, but he's taken care of by my descent from above. Freed from earlier, Jean and Armin tie up the men, while Mikasa holds the boss down. I call this a successful mission.

"Conny," I call out. "Is it really just the four of them?"

"Yeah, that's it! Nobody else is in the area."

"If you move again, who knows where I'll hit?" Hearing Sasha's voice, I turn to see her arrow right beside the pistol. The boss must have tried reaching for it. I look to her, nodding my appreciation for helping Mikasa.

"All right!" Mikasa orders. "First, we tie these guys up, then we meet up with the lieutenant."

"What do you mean?"

"His orders," I answer Armin, "and he sends a message, too."

* * *

_Levi_

"Lieutenant?" Levi lands beside Nifa on top of a building a few meters behind and above the cart where Eren and Historia ride. With Mikasa and Joshua tackling the other problem, he has no worries about their success. With Joshua's keen sense of observation and leadership, Mikasa's ability to fight, and the overall abilities of Armin and the others, they should be fine on their own. He wouldn't admit it to their faces to prevent their heads from swelling, but those cadets are special. They've been through hardships, betrayals, and somehow those six somehow come out alive.

If only the glue that holds them together was not problematic. "Well?"

"The road is crowded, but nothing unusual. It's not much farther to Commander Pyxis'. How's the body double mission?"

"A success."

"And yet, you don't look that happy."

"No." _Something is wrong. The Military Police can't be behind this. They're far too arrogant. They wouldn't use amateurs. This is more like… Assuming the wagon was being followed and the group was trailing behind their target._

"Lieutenant. The wagon's almost moving again."

"Nifa, have you heard about Kenny the Ripper?"

"The mass murderer in the capital? The one that slit the throats of over 100 Military Police? That's just an urban legend from years ago, right?"

"He is real, and the stories are true."

"Huh?"

"I lived with him for a while when I was a kid."  
"What? Why would you even say that? This isn't the time to be making jokes."

Levi doesn't respond to that, keeping his eyes on the wagon below. _That's right. He wouldn't care about using amateurs. If a group was trailing their target, it would be from both rear angles, and a place high up, with a view...like where I am now!_ "Nifa!"

His warning is too late as a blast erupts from behind them and the young woman's head splatters across the roof. Levi barely manages to dodge the one meant for him. Similar gunshots echo in the sky, a testament to the presence of Nifa's killer having allies. Taking cover behind the chimney, Levi looks back as a man situates himself on the roof. "Yo, Levi. You grown any yet?" Gas hisses as it jettisons from a canister, much like if the man was wearing ODM, but instead of blades, he bears twin firearms. Flying up, he aims down at Levi. "Oh? It doesn't look like you changed at all!"

Levi draws his blades to engage the older brown-haired man with a cry. "Kenny!"


	26. Her Kingdom Come: Kenny

_Levi_

"Yo, Levi. You grown any yet?" Gas hisses as it is jettisoned from a canister, much like if the man was wearing ODM, but instead of blades, he bears twin firearms. Flying up, he aims down at Levi. "Oh? It doesn't look like you changed at all!"

Levi draws his blades to engage the older brown-haired man with a cry. "Kenny!" Ejecting one of his blades, he throws it at Kenny, but the assassin blocks it with his sword. A shot is fired, ripping through Levi's cloak and the stone structure behind him. With a final quick glance at Nifa, Levi rushes down the roof, evading more strong blasts as he falls in the space between buildings and dashes off with his ODM.

By the time he got to the cart, Eren and Historia were already disposed of and any chance of rescuing them was shelved immediately by the presence of other assassins. He hooks himself to the ground to dodge their fire, then proceeds to fly as fast as he can from the gunmen and their powerful gunfire. _Shit! They predicted ever last one of our movements! _He looks to a building, seeing Kenny's shadow and adjusts course to an alleyway. _Kenny… What the hell is he doing in the Military Police?_ Gunfire rains down all around Levi, forcing him to use his agility to get around the alleyway and flies straight into a bar. Touching his forehead, he feels blood seeping out a wound above his left eye. _Shit… if this keeps up, I'll lose my team, Eren, and Historia too._

"Ain't that the damnedest thing! I smell a filthy rat coming from this bar. Come out, you little rodent….Found ya! The law has come to exterminate the vermin! Bang! Bang!" By the time Kenny entered the bar, Levi hid behind the counter. "The hell? Ain't you here?"

"Right here, Kenny. It's been a while. Never thought you'll still be alive. What happened to slaughtering the Military Police? Now you're one of them?"

"Adults do plenty of things a kid like you can't understand. Oops, my bad. You're just so tiny, it's hard to believe you're older now. I have been looking forward to seeing you in action. Never thought all those tricks I taught you would be helping you out like this. Didn't I ever tell you what happens to a cornered rat? No matter which way you try to run, you'll get blasted from above. Hey, Levi…" A chair smashes into the bottles on the shelf, raining glass and alcohol on Levi. "There's gotta be a reason you became a Scout, and I think I know what it is. We had no choice but to survive in that garbage dump. It took all we had each day to keep livin'. And when we found out how big the world really was, you can bet it hurt like hell. But something saved us. We'd found something we wanted to do. It's that simple. It's simple, but the truth is the only thing that made our lives fulfilling was finding hobbies."

"Hobbies?" Levi reaches up to a bottle, turning it slightly to an unlabeled side of it to get a view of Kenny. "So is blowing the heads off my team another hobby of yours?"

"Yup. To achieve my grand goals, I'll kill as much as I have to. You're no different. You kill when it benefits you, too."

"Yeah." Reaching for the rifle underneath the bar counter, he holds it up and fires at Kenny, hitting his adversary out the bar. Standing up, he hands the rifle to the bartender. "Thanks, old man." Picking up a chair, he throws it out the window, using it as bait for gunfire. It works, and Levi uses the confusion to leap out the window, shooting a hook at the baited gunman's face. Taking his body along, he uses it as a shield to protect himself from the dead man's comrades as they fire on Levi. Their ammunition exhausted, Levi discarded the body and propels himself forward, killing the two shooters in one sword swing.

* * *

_Joshua_

"Gunshots!"

"Huh?"

"From there! I heard a bunch of shots!" I haven't heard anything of the sort, but Sasha's sense of hearing is much sharper than any of ours, comparatively as strong as the late Miche's sense of smell.

"You think something happened?" Jean says to me and Mikasa.

"Most likely," Mikasa says. "The lieutenant had this message for us. From now on, we'll be fighting humans, too, and not just Titans." As expected, the four others were shocked just as I'm sure Mikasa and I were initially hearing said message. But our enemy has always been human...just this time, we're not food.

"Huh? You mean-"

"Move out!" I command, leading the charge in the direction of the gunfire.

"Hey!" I turn to Jean, his confusion obvious. "You mean…'human' human?"

"Correct. Hopefully, it won't come to it we'll have to face them off unprepared."

"Hey!" Conny shouts, pointing to the ground. "There goes Eren!"

"Lieutenant!" One block to our right, the cart carrying Eren and Historia turns a corner, but both teenagers are lying down. Levi chases after the cart, but he's in turn being chased by an unknown man with a different form of ODM, its weapon of choice is a firearm. As we follow after, we witness Levi brutally kill the man, much to our collective horror. When I say collective, I mean even Mikasa's dead ass eyes are shaken by the bloodshed.

He spots us afterward, pointing at the wagon in the distance. "Chase the wagon!"

Mikasa is the only one to respond as we follow Levi. "Yes, sir!"

"Listen up! They're used to fighting other people! They already got three of ours. If we're gonna get those two back, you can't hesitate! If you get the chance, you kill! Got it?"

Mikasa is still the only one to say "Roger" (if it's to save Eren, she'll do it without much further argument) but I nod my head affirmatively, for the sake of Historia. Levi dives down, ejecting the man in the cart with a hook and leading another away.

"Armin, Jean! Secure the wagon! We'll cover you!" With some hesitation from Jean, the two of them follow Levi's orders, landing in the cart. The driver takes notice of them, but not of Mikasa kneeing her in the face. Shaking, Jean points his sword at the woman, telling her not to move but she does anyway, knocking his sword away and turning the tables on him.

"Jean!" Swords out, I swoop down from behind the cart, Mikasa in front, to save Jean when gunfire erupts.

The woman is the victim, Armin the shooter. Gasping, I retreat back, unaware of the three gunmen that pass above until its too late. Jean and Armin are saved by Levi and Sasha, allowing the enemy to take control of the cart as it comes towards Trost's inner gate. Gunfire forces us to ground ourselves and deters a final attempt to save Eren and Historia. Mikasa doesn't accept that until Levi holds her back.

"Don't do it! Fall back!" She tries to fight back but eventually gives that up. Once more, with the last time still fresh in our minds, Eren and Historia are taken away from us by the enemy.

"Eren!"

* * *

_Some time later_

"What's the matter? This grimy place kill your appetite?"

"No," Armin says darkly and detached, much as he was when he spoke to Bertholdt back on Reiner's shoulder. "Jean, there's something I don't understand."

"What's that?"

"When I shot that gun to save you, I honestly thought I didn't make it in time. Sorry, but… Why was I the one who shot first?"

Jean looks away, replaying the horrifying moments in his head. "That's…"

"Because the other person hesitated," Levi states matter-of-factly. "It's true." In other words, if she hadn't, Jean would be a bloody corpse. He doesn't take that well.

"Armin, I'm sorry. I should've done what I had to do."

"I know what it is," Armin says in that same cold voice. "That person that I killed… I bet they were a nice person. Someone that was much more human than I am. I pulled the trigger so easily… I did… I'm-"

"Armin, you've got blood on your hands now. You can't go back to who you were."

Mikasa takes offense to that. "Why would you say that?"

"Embrace the new you. Just think, if your hands were still clean, Jean wouldn't be here right now. I'll tell you why you pulled the trigger. Because your comrade was about to die. Armin, thanks to you getting blood on your hands, nobody on our squad ended up dead. Thank you."

"Lieutenant Levi, I… I thought it was wrong to be fighting other humans and wrong for you to order us to do it. I was afraid to be hurting other people. But...I'm the on who was wrong. Next time, I'll shoot."

"I never said anything about who was right or wrong. I don't even know myself. Are you really the one in the wrong?" Leaving Jean with that puzzle, Levi stands up. "Now then, it's about time we hear what he has to say." Levi walks over and joins me with the merchant president, tugging off the cloth around his mouth.

"Wait! I'm just an old man used for moving wagons around the-"

"We've met this man once before," Mikasa says, referring to the meeting she and I had with the man. "In the city, people were calling him Boss."

"Yeah, I know. Dimo Reeves, right?"

"Tsk. We were just following orders the Military Police forced on us. And failed big time. They'll plunder the Reeves Company for all that it's worth. They won't stop with me and my dumb son. They'll make sure all my employees die in so-called accidents."

"So you'll die without a fight?" The man looks up to Levi. "Trost should have collapsed by now, but it's persevered. That's because the Reeves Company brings people and work together. But if the company was gone for good, just how few would survive the winter?"

"Are you suggesting I team up with you?"

"We just need to know where Eren and Historia are. If you're supplying the Military Police, we can figure something out."

"But can you stop my city and employees from dying of starvation?"

"I can't guarantee it. However, you can trust we'll move towards that end."

* * *

Once we got Reeves to agree to work with us, I take a walk outside where Sasha stands watch. "Hey, mind some company?"

She nods. "Sure." I shut the door and walk to her right side, leaning against the wall and gazing to the blue-orange sky.

"How are you?"

"Fine, all things considered. You?"

I drop down, hugging my knees. "Well, after writing it down, I feel a little better. Sucks that Historia and Eren are gonna need to be rescued again, we almost die again, but if there's any positive to it, at least we know they're not dead." I say that in annoyance, but in the big picture, I truly believe that to be positive. Sighing, I drop my head, then look to Sasha, remembering her contribution to our efforts. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have known about the gunfire and wouldn't have gotten a chance to save Eren and Historia. I doubt Levi's death would be a result as we contributed little, but we did try our best. She also saved Mikasa from the boss when he tried reaching for her gun when Mikasa's mind was elsewhere. "Hey, you did well today. Spotting the gun, hearing the gunfire, you did better in an hour or so teamed with me than Conny did the entire day last time we were here fighting Titans."

Sasha beams as she moves in front of me, looking up to me with the two or three inches I have on her. "You lead us well. Half the time was a success, but a success nontheless. Went much better than if Mikasa leading us. Or Armin. Or Jean. Definitely better than 'the genius.'" She turns around and leans back on my front, resuming her watch but enjoying my presence. I, however, get a face full of red hair. "We're going to find them, right Joshua?"

"Levi made a deal with Reeves, that old fat guy. He's going to bring the Military Police to us. Hange and Moblit will be joining us, so...it should be a grand time. We'll find Historia, Sasha. Eren, too, if we feel like it."

She arches her head back to me with a frown. "Joshua!"

"Fine, him too." I lean my head against Sasha, turning her around. She snickers as I do so, raising her arms around my neck.

"This is an odd moment to be romantic." So she says as she pushes me firmly against the wall, forgetting that it was her who started this. Our faces still close, her face morphs to concern as she looks away. "Promise me, no heroics. I know I say it selfishly because you would do anything to protect your friends, but... Each time you do so…"

"Okay." I raise her face up, making her see my face and words. "I promise not to take _unnecessary _heroics. How about that?"

Sasha sighs as she places her head underneath mine, lowering her arms to my waist. "Better than nothin', I suppose." We laugh at the use of her accent before standing together in quietness underneath the merging of light and darkness, using this time to forget the troubles yet to come.

* * *

Three hours later, I arrive with Hange and Moblit at the new hideout Levi Squad is located. Once we were set to move, Levi sent me back to Hange to recount today's events. I found her where she should be, at the Garrison HQ. Once my message was given, we waited until one of the leaders of the Military Police meeting with Commander Erwin left before we spoke to him. Once there, she first spoke of what I've told her what happened in Trost today, then she told us about a note Eren gave her yesterday.

The contents inside were earth-shattering.

Dropping off my horse, I follow Hange and Moblit towards the house, but before we enter, she stops and looks at me seriously. "Joshua, until the time is right, do not speak of what I said of Eren. I'll deem it necessary when your friends should know. I rather keep it hidden than spark some of them to action."

"Yes, Section Commander."

"I rather not let you witness what we're about to do either. I can order you to wait with your friends. But ever since you've joined me, I've always allowed you to have a choice to participate, so your participation now is your choice. Just know that...it might not be as pretty as capturing Titans."

I nod my head. "I spent a few minutes inside a Titan's mouth and rotting body. I think a little...conversation is manageable."

Moblit turns to me. "I have nothing against it myself, but as the Section Commander said until we're ready to tell everyone else, you keep whatever is said between those present. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." With that said, we enter the house, making a beeline for the basement with little interaction with the other cadets. I bet they were confused when I followed Hange and Moblit downstairs. Hange forcefully opens the door to the room where Levi and the MP soldier with him, Sannes by my recognition, are located.

"Sorry, I'm late! You're still going at it?"

Levi wears an apron and gloves. It looks ridiculous on him. "Yeah, I'm pretty new to this."

Hange steps over to the bound Sannes and Levi. "Sannes! You should know I'm also a novice at human torture, so please bear with me!" She picks up a plier in anticipation, though Sannes begins to protest.

"Wait! What do you even want? Who the hell tortures without asking questions?"

"Oh, right. We do have some questions for you." I feel like a ten-ton weight just fell on my head. Did Levi really torture this man without questioning? He is bleeding from the nose, his right eye is black and closed, and he does have some facial bruising. The lieutenant went to town before we got here. "Where is Eren and Historia? Why are you after Historia? What's the Reiss family?"

Not a second after Levi closes his mouth, Hange gets to work. "Too slow! Can't you see that we're in a hurry?" I hear the separation of a fingernail from flesh along with the yell that definitely reaches the ears of my friends upstairs.

* * *

_Upstairs_

"It starts again,"

"I feel like the screams are louder than when the lieutenant did it."

"Even though I know it's to save those two, it makes me sick."

"Let's face it… We're criminals now," Armin says woefully. "The enemies that we're fighting… We're not killing them because they're trying to eat us. It's because their views are different. No, just the group they belong to. And for that, their lives…"

"Armin."

Armin lowers his head to his arms on the table. "All of us,.. We're not good people anymore."

* * *

_Downstairs_

"Sorry, I can't peel nails as well as you. Just how many did you peel to get so good?"

"Too many to count." Oh, he says that without issue? Disgusting...no, revolting. He doesn't sound too remorseful for his previous actions, I look down to his right hand, all five fingernails removed from the digits. Levi had a point. If the first wasn't enough, then he's not talking at all, at least what we want him to talk about. "Within these cramped walls, do you know why war has never broken out? It's because the First Interior Squad dirtied our hands to protect the peace. A teacher too smart for their own good, a stupid couple who tried to fly, a whore from some ranch in the sticks, humanity has only made it this far because we erased them! You should be thanking us! I've never seen anyone get more pleasure out of torture than you guys! You're monsters! But I'm not even afraid. I… I have… I have the King, I… I believe in the King and peace in the walls. That all the things we've done were justified. But… To think it hurt this much... Go on and torture me to death already. That's all I ever did with this blood-stained life of mine."

"Time for a break." Levi leads us out. I steal a glance at Sannes, cutting a curious glare at him. Of all of his words, only one phrase gave me thought. Why would the First Interior Squad stop others from flying?

"That's troubling… I'm beginning to feel sorry for him." Hange turns to me and nods. Reaching down, I pick up the other soldier Moblit asked me to get minutes earlier. After picking him up, I shove him up a few steps to Levi.

"Quit shoving me. It hurts…"

Levi holds a knife to the soldier's back as Hange points to a piece of paper in her hand. "You're pathetic. It only too one nail to make you talk. Sannes doesn't have any nails left. You're nothing like him."

"Like I care? That was his decision. The guy never shuts up about peace and the King. The rest of us hate him. Do us a favor and kill him already."

"We're not letting it happen until he verifies your story."

"You already got what you wanted out of me. Gimme a break. Will I be getting a bed in my cell, or what?" We walk up the steps, hoping that the script does it work on Sannes. If he loses his faith, he will loosen his tongue.

* * *

"_Reiss is the true royal family…"_

"The true royal sucessor...is Historia?"

Hange nods to our collective shock. "In other words, both Eren and Historia are likely wherever Rod Reiss is." She turns to Moblit, who pastes a picture of Rod Reiss on the wall.

"That's him."

"_Historia…" _

I frown, letting my emotions bubble to the surface. "What could he want with her now?"

"That is for us to find out."

"_I'm sorry for everything."_


	27. Her Kingdom Come: Rebellion

_Days earlier, Historia_

"I was born on a small farm in the northern region of Wall Rose. It was on land owned by the noble family of Reiss. As far back as I can remember, I was helping around the farm. But, my mother was always reading books and not once did I see her doing housework. She was a beautiful woman. At night, someone would come for her in a wagon and she'd go off to the city wearing fancy clothes. For me, that was just life as I knew it. After I learned to read and write, I picked up a book to imitate my mother. Only then did I know how alone I was. In all the books, parents cared about their children. They talked, hugged, fought, or so the stories went. I had never experienced any of those things. One day, out of curiosity, I decided to try hugging my mother. I just wanted to see what kind of face she would make."

"_Mother!" A gasp and a hand clasps over Historia's mouth, pushing her off to the side nearby the fence. Her nose bleeding, Historia holds her face but turns to the disgusted woman with a open smile._

"_If only I had the courage to kill the girl…"_

"She ended up shoving me away, but that was the first thing my mother ever did for me. That's why it made me so happy. And what she said afterward...those were...the first words my mother said to me. After that, she left the house and began living somewhere else. And then, five years ago, just days after Wall Maria fell, for the very first time, I met my father."

"_Nice to meet you, Historia. My name is Rod Reiss… I'm your father."_

"That man… He was the lord ruling the land we lived on. My mother I hadn't seen in years looked terribly frightened."

"_Historia… You'll be living with me now."_

"If Reiss came for you, why are you not with him now?"

"_This is a problem, Lord Reiss." A man dressed in a dark suit appears from behind Reiss's carriage. Frightened, Historia's mother tries to run, but she's caught by him and another man as the man who spoke's accomplices come into view. "Let's avoid acting rashly now. Did the fall of Wall Maria make you a little scared?"_

"_Mother!"_

"_No! I am not the mother of that girl! She has nothing to do with me!"_

"_Oh, is that true, Lord Reiss? Do you really have nothing to do with this woman or child?" Historia looks to her father, feeling his hand recede from hers. In one night, in one moment...she's been disowned by both the mother who rejected her for years and the father who just claimed her._

"_So be it. These two here have nothing to do with me."_

"_I thought that might be the case."_

_Historia's mother is pushed to her knees. "What? What are you…"_

"_You never existed," the man says as he reaches for a long knife in his coat. "You never worked at the estate either. Nobody knows who you are."_

"_That's not… Master! Please tell them that's not true!"_

_Fearing for her mother's life, Historia steps closer. "Mother…"_

"_If only… If only I never had you!"_

"Those were my mother's last words. Moments before I was to be killed, my father proposed an idea. That if I were to be sent far away and live out a quiet life, perhaps they could spare me."

"_Your name will be Christa Lenz."_

* * *

_Present_

Reiss lets go of his daughter, looking at her wide pupils. "Please forgive me for everything. In order to protect you, I had no other choice."

"F-Father…"

"I was always thinking about you. I've always dreamed of the day I could hold you like this. You're special. Royal blood runs through you."

Historia lets tears run down her face. "It does?"

"That's right, Historia. Our Reiss family is the true royal line. And because you're special, you're the one and only person who can save all of humanity. Now, let us go, Historia. To the place it all began.

* * *

_Joshua_

"Eren will be eaten?"

I nod. "Like a five-course Titan meal."

"Yeah," Hange says. "Eren remembered a conversation that went like this between Bertholdt and Ymir, that she once ate a human. Speculating based on that, Ymir was a Titan wandering alone outside the wall. Bertholdt, Reiner, and Annie had a comrade that she ate."

"Based on that information," I continue, "it confirms what we thought of Conny's village, that Titans are indeed transformed humans. It also gives us the truth about the one thing we never figured out back in Trost and even out in the field. In their Titan forms, the shifters are still attacked by Titans despite being not human. Now we know why."

"When a Titan eats someone, they don't change back into a human. But, what if a Titan ate one of Reiner's comrades? They're human who can transform into Titans. In other words, if a Titan eats someone with that power, they revert back into a human. Furthermore, they obtain the power of those they eat. In the other day's battle, Reiner was throwing Titans at Eren, who had escaped. Eren has the power to control Titans with his scream. He was trying to snatch that power with those Titans. In that case, Eren is just a vessel who is bound to be replaced. Basically, if the government has a Titan of their own, they'll be the one to eat Eren."

"In the general sense, I think I know why Titans are after us. We're cattle, sure...but Eren, Ymir, Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt, they're the prized bulls.

Mikasa lets her emotions run and heads for the door. Levi catches her. "Calm down. Even if you go on a rampage, they're not going to give Eren back to us. Anyway, we head for the lands of Rod Reiss. Get ready to leave at once."

* * *

_Erwin_

"Excuse me, Commander Erwin, Pyxis is here for you."

"The commander?"

"Yes, he wants to see you."

"Let him in."

"Sir!" Erwin sets his book down as Pyxis steps into the room.

"Sorry about the late visit. I just couldn't stand still, you see. I finished reading your letter. I came with some thoughts of my own. But first I need to ask… Are you serious."

Erwin turns from the window he covered with the hanging cloth to the seated Pyxis. "Yes. In order to retake Wall Maria, we'll overthrow the government."

Pyxis palms his head as Erwin sits across from him. "I knew this would happen one day. This cramped world can only hold people for so long before they begin to lash out. And when that time came, I'd have to point my gun at the King as well."

"If my guess proves correct, this plan will not require military forces to take action. Nor should it be necessary for anyone to die."

"Oh! Do tell me then. Is such a method possible?"

"However, the groundwork for this to happen is not quite ready. And if everything is not in order, me and everyone else will be hanged, no doubt."

Pyxis chuckles. "Oh, that's all? In other words, it's another huge gamble."

"It seems I may be a betting man. The news should come shortly. Until it arrives, I'd like you to hear a story regarding my childhood."

"Hmm?"

"My father… He was a teacher. One day, we were learning history. To protect themselves from the Titans, humanity took refuge within the walls and realized years of peace. In doing so, any records of our earlier past were lost for all of time. That's what we're all taught. However, I...having doubts of my own, asked my father a question. My father evaded answering the question and ended class as normal. But after we got home, my father answered my question. He said the history books given by the government were full of contradictions and mysteries. My father continued to tell me more, and even as a child, I was astounded. There's a reason he didn't tell that story to the entire class, but I wasn't smart enough to know. I'd been telling the other kids my father's story, and one day, the Military Police came to question me. My father didn't come home that day… He died in some accident in a faraway town. Based on what I knew, my father was killed by the government. One hundred and seven years ago... Humanity that fled into these walls… The King had altered their memories to make them easy to rule. That was my father's theory."

"Oh? Because if they hadn't done that, civilization within the walls could never succeed?"

"Yes. Ever since I was a child, I've been thinking… Why did my father have to die for nothing more than getting close to the truth? Even those in the government would believe what they're doing is just. However, I realized one thing about them… What they're trying to protect is not humanity, but their gardens, houses, and lands. Rather, if anyone dares to threaten their authority, they'll be extinguished, whoever they are. In the end, there was nothing to justify my father's death. My father was killed by human greed...and the foolishness of his own son. Before I knew it, my father's theory became truth inside my heart. Now, my mission in life… It's to prove my father's theory once and for all."

"Excuse me! Erwin." Hange and Moblit appear at the commander's door for the second time tonight, this time without their protege. The section commander leans into Erwin's ear, whispering the news he longed for.

"I thought as much." He turns to Pyxis. "My gamble was right after all, Commander. One of the First Interior Squad confessed. The current royal family is a fraud. Reiss is the true royal family."  
Pyxis' eyebrows raise. "My word!"

"Right now, Squad Levi is underway rescuing Eren and Historia. Once they're recovered, we'll have Historia Reiss enthroned as Queen. As one possessing the true royal blood."

"And you'll force the makeshift King to relinquish the crown? To the true Queen…"

"Without spilling any blood, we will overthrow the government. And right in front of the people, we'll reveal that the system as they know it has all been a lie."

Pyxis stands up, thinking to himself quietly. Erwin, however, did not worry about the Garrison commander, for not a second later Pyxis looks to Erwin with a daring smile. "Very well. I'll back up your plan. However, whether or not it should be carried out is not for us to decide. You understand that, don't you, Erwin?"

"Of course, Commander."

* * *

"Did anything come of the Reiss investigation?"

"I found out as much as I could." Eren hands Hange a large book. "From all I learned, one curious incident stuck out."

"Incident?"

"Commander Erwin!" The Scout from earlier opens the door suddenly. "The Interior Squad demands you turn yourself in! They're making a scene in the middle of the city that you organized a murder!"

"It seems the enemy's been making plans of their own. Hange, get far from here."

"Huh? What are you planning to do?"

Erwin puts his more formal Scout attire on. "I need to be the face of the Scout Regiment. You should act at your discretion. Furthermore, the next commander of the Scout Regiment, Hange Zoe, is you. The Scouts are in your hands."

* * *

_Joshua_

"Lieutenant, we bought the supplies.' We look up to Jean, Armin, and Mikasa as they come back from town with supplies. Armin continues to walk in front of Levi, handing him a piece of paper.

"The Military Police were handing out these. If this is true, the Scouts will be disbanded. I heard they're hunting for us tonight. They're also putting guards on all vital roads, and it's impossible to get through without a pass."

I read the paper from over Levi's shoulder. We're blamed for the death of the elder Reeves and being rounded up as a result for keeping Eren to ourselves? "Seems our enemies are making their move."

"What do we do now, Lieutenant?"

"If we don't hurry, Eren-"

"Calm down," Levi tells Mikasa and Armin. "They're using a wagon. It'll take at least a day to reach Reiss territory. We'll have to use that time to come up with a plan."

"Lieutenant, I hear footsteps… They're coming this way."

I turn to Sasha. "Can you tell how many?"

"Four?"

"Two people then." Standing up, I look to Levi. "We'll handle this. Armin, Mikasa, come with me."

* * *

Mikasa and I watch from the treetops as Armin wades a bucket through water, hopefully creating enough noise to draw the MPs. Sure enough, they come, rifles raised. "Don't move! Slowly turn this way." Armin releases the buckets and stands on his feet, lifting his arms in surrender as he turns around. "You must be a Scout. Just like that. Not a word. Now listen to me and do as I-"

I nod to Mikasa and we descend on the soldiers, holding one arm to their back and the other arm that holds their guns up as our sword arms reach underneath to hold a blade to their neck. "That's right. Hand over your guns to the one in front." I nod to Armin, who takes the guns.

"And not a word, right?"

* * *

_If we disguise ourselves as Military Police, there's a chance we can get past the guards. We might be able to find out the location of Eren and Historia, but I doubt just any one of these MPs know anything._

I watch as Jean gives Levi some paper. The lieutenant stands up and walks over to the captured soldiers. "Stohess District Military Police. Private Marlo Freudenberg. Same assignment, Private Hitch Dreyes. As for how we'll dispose of you...:"

"Because of you guys," Hitch says with fear and anger, "over 100 people from Stohess District were killed!"

"Huh?"

"Hey."

"You people… You might think that you're all heroes of justice, but the victims and their families were dropped straight to hell!"

"Yeah, I know," Levi says dryly.

Hitch looks to me, Armin, Jean, and Mikasa. "You there. You're from the Southern Cadet Corps, yeah? Just like Annie Leonhart. Were you friends of hers?" We say nothing. "No… I doubt she had any friends, being as gloomy and aloof as she was. It's like she was a kid afraid of other people. I never got the chance to know anything about her. And the reason they still haven't found her is because she was pulverized by a Titan into a puddle of jelly!"

"No, because the Titan in hiding was Annie Leonhart herself." The stunned faces of the MP privates are nothing short of a surprise, being we had the same ones. "Goddammit, it makes me sick. Nobody knows a damn thing about this world… Not us or anyone else. Except for those bastards at the center of it all. We'll release you both as soon as we get out of here."

"Annie was…"

"Lieutenant Levi!" Marlo shouts. "Please let me help you! I don't think what you guys are doing is wrong! If I can help correct this world's injustices, I'll do whatever it takes!"

"What's with this guy?"

"I beg of you, Lieutenant Levi!"

"Not a chance. I can't tell how prepared you are about making an enemy of the government." He sheathes the blade he kept on his shoulder as he looks to us three Shiganshinans. "Let's go. Sasha, tie them up somewhere nearby." I linger behind, looking to the horror on Hitch's face. Taking some pity, I kneel down in front of her.

"Annie...in her own way, I suppose, was my friend. It doesn't excuse her for what she's done, but...that aside, she was a good person." Standing up, I see Jean here taking the place of Sasha. He bears a frown on his face, deep in thought. I walk up to him, speaking so only he may hear. "What are you doing?"

"Something tells me...we should trust them. One damn, suicidal maniac is talking in my head"

"Hmm. I assume you have a plan then?"

"Yes."

* * *

One proven dedication and bruise on Jean's temple later, Hitch and Marlo leads us to one of the Military Police checkpoints. "That over there is the least manned checkpoint around."

Levi nods. "All right. We'll handle it ourselves. Get back to your squad before it gets suspicious."

"Yes, sir."

"Marlo, Hitch. We're grateful."

The pair salutes. "Sir!"

As the two MP privates depart, Levi turns to us. "Let's go! It's our turn to pick a fight!" That "turn" of ours leads to us crashing into the checkpoint via wagon minutes later, a short fight, then while the others check our surroundings, Levi and I find the chief of this checkpoint and drag him away. To our luck, he isn't just a normal MP, he's Interior Police too.

Seems we're about to have more fun.

* * *

"Stop it…"

Levi drops his foot and crouches down to the soldier's level. "Where are Eren and Christa?"

"Oh, you're so brave. That checkpoint back there was just recruits who could barely wipe their own ass. You think you're some sort of hero, beating them down?"

"Boohoo," I say while leaning against the tree the man is roped to. "I'm starting to feel bad, Lieutenant."

"What an atrocious thing we've done." Levi sticks his foot in the man's mouth, making him choke. "But what's more atrocious is this mouth of yours. I recommend you start talking while you're still able to use it. Where are Eren and Christa?"

"It's no use! All that's left for you now is to run and hide inside these walls, covered in mud and shit! If you don't turn yourselves in, every last Scout we captured will get the noose! Starting with the one most guilty of all, Erwin Smith!"

Levi picks the man up and pushes him against the tree, breaking his arm in the process. "Shut up. That's for not answering my question. Some Scouts' lives are more valuable than others. Only those dumb enough to acknowledge that joins us. Tell me where Eren and Christa are at."

The man sulks to the ground after Levi releases him, but the lieutenant put the fear in him. "I-I don't know! I'm not allowed to know! Kenny Ackermann is a very cautious man!"

"Ackermann? I know Kenny… Is that his last name?" The faces of surprise on both Mikasa and (as best as a face he can make) Levi is short-lived, but underneath the moonlight, I can see my friend's lingering confusion.

"It is, but…"

"True, there's a lot of things he doesn't divulge… Especially the important stuff. But you must have a rough idea. You best try to remember…"

"Stop it!"

Levi grabs the man. "You still have plenty of bones left to break."

"You... You're insane!"

"Maybe I am."

"Someone's coming from that way!" We all get into a position ready to attack, with Levi on top of our guest. Hiding behind the tree, I look to Sasha.

"How many?"

"More than one." _Not good enough for us if that's her answer._ I look to Levi, hoping he'll say something, but he keeps himself on the prisoner.

"Told you so, Lieutenant. It's no use. One way or another, the Scouts will soon come to an end!"


	28. Her Kingdom Come: Distant Memories

**I just want to thank you guys for supporting this story up to this point. We're a few chapters from the end of this part to what is my favorite arc in the series.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Told you so, Lieutenant. It's no use. One way or another, the Scouts will soon come to an end!"

The incoming figures come into the moonlight that shines upon the tall grass ahead of us. By now, I can see it's only two people...who I recognize without fail. Stepping out from behind the tree, I sheath my blades and raise a hand to the others. "It's Hange and Moblit." The most surprised out of this is the Interior Police himself, who was sure we were being approached by the enemy. As the lieutenant goes to meet with my superiors, I step on the man's broken arm. "Seems the Scouts will make it another night."

Levi returns and sits with a paper in his hand, the other cadets crowding around him to see what Hange and Moblit brought us. After roping the officer again, I join them to read the news that the government is no more. "And there you have it. The coup d'etat was successful. Premier Zachary has control of the capital and administrative district. For the time being, the nobility hasn't rebelled."

"What about the Boss Reeves incident?" Armin asks.

"We got a confession that proved the charges unfounded. His son Flegel really pulled through big time. Just like it's written right there, it shows the charges were bogus, they abused their power, and that King Fritz was a total fake. All our actions were justified self-defense. In other words, we're free people now."

Us cadets look to each other and celebrate (though I feel sorry for Mikasa, who is lifted off her feet by Sasha). I clap hands with Armin, smiling to my friend. "Still think we're criminals?"

"In a totally different kind of way, we are."

"If that's the fun way, I'll take it."

We tune back to Levi and Hange's conversation. "The thing is, part of the Interior Police, their leader, Eren, and Historia are somewhere else. If we don't find them soon…"

"I may have a clue about that. Let's get there and put an end to this battle."

* * *

With the quiet darkness around us, we set out for the northern lands of Reiss. Moblit and the cadets, save for me and Mikasa, ride on horseback carrying torches. Armin directs the horses that pulls the wagon me, Mikasa, Hange and Levi sit in. For the time being, we keep quiet until Mikasa speaks up. "Hange, you might know where they are?"

"Yeah, I'll explain. Erwin gave me this Scout Investigation report regarding Lord Reiss' land. Most of it has to do with an incident five years ago that shook up the Reiss family."

Armin looks back for a moment. "Five years ago?"

"Right. On the day Wall Maria was breached."

I sigh. "What a coincidence."

"I'll summarize the important bits from the beginning. As the lord of his territory, popular opinion of Rod Reiss wasn't all that bad He had five children, and his eldest daughter Frieda was a down-to-earth girl that even the peasants adored. But that night, five years ago, disaster struck. With the world having plunged into pure chaos, some bandits raided and set fire to the only chapel around. Unfortunately, that night, the entire Reiss family was there praauing together. And so, the whole family, save for the head of the house, Rod Reiss, was massacred that night by the bandits. To top it off, this incident occurred just a few days before Historia's mother was killed by the Interior Police. In other words, immediately after losing his family, Reiss sought out Historia. There must be a reason he and his lackeys arer after Historia."

"The same bloodline?" Levi questions. "Is there some secret to their blood?"

"I don't know for sure yet. But what really makes me curious is that parts of the chapel are completely wrecked. The chapel itself is stone. It would take tons of time and effort to destroy it. Bandits would take what they can and make a quick escape. Plus, the only one who saw those bandits was Rod Reiss himself. Soon after, he used his own fortune to rebuild the chapel. But why?"

"What else could be the cause?" I say. "There wasn't a Titan attack."

"If you think about it, it's actually stranger that there were no traces of Titans. Even if I'm jumping to conclusions, something this suspicious deserves us checking it out. Before the night is over, we'll have soldiers all over Reiss' land. Unfortunately, I doubt he'll be waiting that long. If we don't hurry and get there, Eren may end up being eaten."

_If Eren is eaten by whoever Reiss has as a Titan, Eren's powers gets transferred to that person. That's what Ymir said…_ I gasp, my eyes widening as a dreadful thought passes through my head. For as long as I've known Eren, not once has he had memory of this power. So when the hell did he become who he is now...when did he become a Titan?

* * *

_Eren_

"_Shit!"_ Eren gives up on trying to break free from his chains. With his mouth wired open by some metal tool that prevents his tongue from slipping between his teeth, Eren is unable to transform. How good that will do him is questionable, giving his failure the other day. Once again, he's a prisoner and the others will have to come save him.

Once more, she's somehow roped into this. Historia walks into the large crystal that is Eren's new prison, standing a few feet below his position on a overhanging crystal platform. "Eren, you're awake? Just hang in there a while longer. Everything is fine." She sounds so apologetic, but at least she's okay. He doesn't take her "everything is fine" for himself though, as he's been tied up ever since they were captured. "Eren, listen to me. My father has been an ally to all of humanity within the walls for many years past and many years to come. We were clearly mistaken about him. It's true that he's been a problem for the Scouts and his people did kill Pastor Nick. But he didn't have any other choice. Everything he's done, he had to do for the sake of humanity."

"Historia. Let me explain the rest." The man of the hour, Rod Reiss, walks up behind his daughter.

"_It's coming back to me… Yeah… The last thing I can remember is those two. How long has it been? Lieutenant… Armin… What happened to the Scouts?"_ Eren looks around him, inspecting the crystal chamber around him. The pillars that raise between the ground and the ceiling seem to go on forever. "_What's up with these walls, glowing like that? I can't tell if its day or night. No, hold on a second… Haven't I been to this place before?"_

"What's wrong?" Reiss says from somewhere behind Eren. "This is the first time you've come here. Though, it wouldn't be strange if you recognize it."

"_What does he mean by that?"_

"Father, explain to Eren."

"Yes, I intend to. However, there's something I want to try first. If we do this, he may remember all on his own." Two cold, very different hands touch Eren's back, and his mind goes bonkers. He sees this chamber again, but from the perspective of someone else as Rod Reiss, a woman his age, and five other younger people look at 'Eren' in shock. The next image is that of the young, raven-haired woman who bits her hand like Eren does. Her eyes flash dark purple and light blue as she does so. Then there's her Titan, smoke coming out of her upper right chest. Then he grabs one of the boys, the oldest one.

A church on fire.

A familiar-looking Scout with horrified eyes.

A key wrapped in a young person's hand.

A young boy with his arm outstretched as a syringe is prepared.

That boy...becomes a Titan.

That Titan...his eyes...the image in his eye before blood covers everything…

That boy, all alone, holds a pair of glasses. "_Dad?"_

"Well? Did you remember? Your father's sin?"

"_Father?"_

* * *

_Historia_

Just as she's sure Eren is having a mental trip of his own, Historia clutches her head as her own recessed memories rush to the forefront. A memory...of a girl she knew but was made to forget about.

"What's wrong, Historia?"

"Why? Why did I forget about that until now? I was never alone. That girl was always there for me. She gave me books, taught me how to read and write, and was so kind to me. How could I forget about her?"

"You met Frieda?" Reiss asks with some uncertainty.

"Frieda?"

"If it was a young girl with long, black hair, it was most likely Frieda Reiss. She was your half-sister. She must have been worried and came to check up on you occasionally. If she was erasing your memories,it was all done to protect you."

"Huh? Erasing my memories?"

"Yes, but touching your hand to him seems to have uncovered those memories again."

She looks down at Eren, the boy quiet but slumped over in his kneeling form. What could he be going through? "Um, Father? Where is Frieda at now? I'll like to see and thank her. If she wasn't there for me, I… I need to thank her for what she did for me then."

Reiss' face grows grim as he responds. "Frieda is no long in this world. At one time, I had five children. But my wife aand all of my children, Frieda included, were killed five years ago by his father, Grisha Jaeger. Grisha was a person with the Power of the Titans. I do not know who the man was, but his goal was to steal the power the Reiss family possessed. This power Grisha sought to obtain, it was the Power of the Titans residing within Frieda. Frieda's Titan was superior to all other Titans. You could say her Titan had unsurpassable power. However, she did not have the experince to properly wield it. Unable to unleash her true potential, she was eaten by Grisha and he stole the power. But that's not all. He then attacked my entire family. His rampage sought to eradicate the Reiss family. He crushed the 14-year-old Dirk and 12-yeal old-Abel. He trampled over my wife and 10-year-old Florian still clutched in her arms. Lastly, he took my eldest son, Ulklin, and squeezed the life out of him. Miraculously, I was the only one who made it away."

"Unbelievable…" Historia turns her face, pressed against her father's torso as he hugs her, to Eren. "That's how she… Why would he do such a terrible thing?" _Eren...are you seeing what your father did? Does it play over and over in your mind?_

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. What the hell are you guts blabbering about in here?" Christa looks down beyond Eren, seeing a familiar man stand below. It's just not anyone, she notices, but the man who killed her mother and almost herself. "I hope you know a buncha shit is hoing down outside."

"Kenny? What happened?"

"The Scouts started a coup d'etat and the all the regiments changed sides. Everyone knows the King's a big fake, and all the big shots ended up getting captured. Oh yeah, it's a royal shit show. Only a matter of time till they show up here. You oughta wrap it up lickety split."

"Yes, all right. Take your Anti-Personnel Control Squad and defend the entrance. I believe I told you already I need you and your crew to leave for the ceremony."

"Whoa now, King. Did I make you mad?" Historia's father just stares down at the man. "Sorry 'bout that. I'm just so worried about you."

"Kenny, I trust you. Go."

"So do I, King.

* * *

_Mikasa_

"Understand? He's Kenny the Ripper. If he's there, he'll be our biggest obstacle. In terms of how much of a threat he is, equate him to me as an enemy. No… With those weapons of his, he's deadlier than me."

"Then he's unbeatable, at least for us," Sasha barely whispers.

"If we could meet uup with the troops-"

"Absolutely not," Mikasa snaps at Conny.

"I knew, absolutely not! If we wait until morning, Eren might end up getting eaten."

"I'm not so worried about Eren," Joshua says whilst leaning back on the end of the wagon, "as I am for Historia. We know nothing of Reiss' plans for her. It can't be as simple as wanting his daughter. If Reiss has his priorities right, he'll have Kenny protecting Historia. He will be tough."

"Though, if what the lieutenant said is true, it's not like he has no weak points."

"For real, Armin?"

"Yeah, I'm sure he's trained plenty, but having combat experience is something else."

"I wonder," Hange directs to Levi, "how is it that you lived with Kenny the Ripper but know almost nothing about him, Levi?"

"Sorry, but I only found out his full name not too long ago. Apparently, it's Kenny Ackermann. He some relative of yours?"

Mikasa clutches her knees to her chest. She hadn't thought much of her family in a long time, not until Kenny's name was revealed. It is the first time since she met Eren that she speaks of her family, meaning this is the first time even Armin and Joshua are hearing it. "I heard from my parents when they were alive that my dad's side, the Ackermanns, were persecuted in the cities. My mom's family was Oriental, so being a different race meant they didn't fit in anywhere. Both were people chased deep in the mountains near the edge of the walls so that's how they met and married. But I never found out why the Ackermanns were persecuted. My dad didn't seem like a different race like my mom was."

"Has there ever been a moment where it's felt like power suddenly awakened inside you?"

"There has." _Back when Eren saved me from those bandits…_

"Kenny Ackermann had a moment like that, too. One time, out of nowhere, he felt an absurd amount of strength surging within him and he knew exactly what he had to do. I've felt moments like that, too.

* * *

_Joshua_

We made it to the chapel, wasting no time getting inside. Hange manages to find a trapdoor poorly hidden underneath a rug. As the two officers talk amongst themselves, the rest of us prepare a little surprise for the enemy below.

"All right," Armin says to the lieutenant and section commander as he finalizes his preparations, "we're good to go!"

"Are we? Is everyone ready to get their hands dirty, too?" None of us say anything. I can't speak for my friends, yet I know we're not exactly fans of the idea we're killing humans in human form. But ever since they took Eren and Historia away, I have longed for this moment. I turn to Mikasa, knowing exactly what's going through her head. I glance up front to Armin, the boy who once labeled us 'criminals' prepared to take out the enemy in the same way he lamented. Jean still looks uneasy, but I know him well now to know he will fight on. Conny looks absolutely horrified, and that's all there is to it. Sasha holds her bow over her shoulder, looking grim with the idea of killing humans, but as we hold each other's hand, I have a feeling she's ready

"Guess so."


	29. Her Kingdom Come: Hardened Resolve

_Joshua_

"HUUUUAAHHH!" I cut the back of one of the Anti-Personnel Squad's members back, watching her fall to the crystal floor as I cover myself back in the screen of black and green smoke. Thanks to Armin in the back with Sasha, the smoke is constantly replenished, allows us cadets and our three executive leaders to move around and use our advantage of mobility against the Interior Police. Our ODMs are superior in the fashion that our weapons aren't limited by the direction of movement, whereas the MPs can only move wherever their guns are facing.

It's almost like fighting flying, gunslinging Titans. I smile as I set myself on a pillar, watching as the enemy falls back. Levi said there were thirty-five initially, but I can tell the enemy's forces are severely depleted. I swipe the blood of the humans I've killed off my face. At least Titan blood evaporates. I look around, seeing Hange engaging a blonde. Something is wrong, however, and I see it once my direct superior's back is slammed on a pillar. "Hange!"

Ignoring the retreating Interior Police, we gather around Hange.

* * *

_Historia_

"It seems the enemy is nearby. Let's hurry, Historia."

"Right." Eren begins to grunt and scream as best as he can as he wrestles in his restraints. He was quiet up until the very moment Reiss took a syringe out of a black box. Looking up, Christa frowns at her friend. "What, Eren? Why are you glaring?"

"it's because," Reiss states, 'he has perceived his fate. That the stolen power will return to where it belongs. Historia… That means inside you." This is becoming more and more confusing for Historia. Eren has a power…that's rightfully Historia's? "This cavern, it was built 100 years ago by the power of a certain Titan. Those three walls were built by the same power. By creating those enormous walls, humanity was protected. The power of that Titan reached out to touch people's hearts and alter their memories. However, several bloodlines were excluded from that. But their descendants and the rest of humanity retain no history of the world past a century ago. Except for one, Frieda Reiss. Frieda possessed more than her power as a Titan. She knew how this world came about and all the details behind it. She was fifteen years old when that knowledge became hers. Right here, eight years ago in this very place after she ate her uncle, my younger brother. Frieda inherited the Founding Titan and the memories of this world. As had been done for one hundred years, repeated and passed through generations."

"Father…"

"Yes… Basically, if Frieda had just used her power, there wouldn't have been any problems. We might have eliminated Titans from this world entirely. If only his father hadn't stolen the power from her. Now, that power resides within Eren. However, that power, it can't truly manifest unless the blood of the Reiss family runs through them. As long as he remains a vessel for that power, this hell will forever continue."

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" The one named Kenny slides down from above. "So unless it's a Reiss who eats Eren, they can't become a true king?"

"That is correct," Reiss replies.

"Th-Then... even if I turn into a Titan and eat Eren, it'll mean nothin'?"

"What are you-?" Kenny suddenly grabs Reiss, holding Historia's father at gunpoint.

"Father!"

"Do you think I'm lying to you or something?"

"Nope. I waited long for this day 'cuz I knew you weren't lying about the succession ritual. For crying out loud, you used me this whole time knowing full well what I was after, you sleazy playboy!"

"I'm grateful for you. You may have been a stray dog that my whimsical younger brother too in, but-"

"Keep on insulting Uri, and you can say goodbye to half of your head."

"Stop it!" Historia grabs Kenny's raised pistol and pushes it away from her father's face. She glares angrily at her mother's murderer. "Let my father go!"

"Huh? You're plain pitiful, Historia. Don't you get it! This father of yours wants to turn you into a monster and make you eat Eren."

That much Historia already figured out. Standing up to Kenny, she glares at him. "Because that's my duty. Yes, I'm going to eat Eren and bring my sister back. I'll inherit the world's history and exterminate every last Titan! That's my duty!"

"Hey, hey Historia, have you forgotten everything this guy has done to you? The only thing he cares about is the blood inside you. He doesn't want to become a Titan himself! He's just trash that forces his brother and daughter to! That's this father of yours!"

Reiss pushes back the knife Kenny has in his mouth. "He's wrong, Historia… I must not become a Titan myself… Do not believe...what anyone else says…"

"Oh, is that right?" Kenny drops Reiss on the ground, letting Historia walk head to her father.

"Kenny, you've served well up until now. You're free now. Go find another purpose in life...and live out your years."

"That would bore me to death." Kenny turns around, heading up the crystal staircase to Eren.

"Kenny! What are you doing?"

"Go ahead and turn into a Titan. I won't interfere anymore." He grabs Eren, removing the restraint in his mouth. "However, no head starts. You both become Titans and have at it. If Historia wins, you'll have your peace. But if you lose to Eren, the situation stays the same." The assassin cuts Eren's forehead, letting blood draw before dropping him. "Keep drawing until I run out and die? Can you even call that livin'?"

"Historia!" Reiss approaches Historia with desperation in his aqua eyes. "With this injection, you can become a powerful Titan! Then you can eat him, but in fact, it's more than that! You must bite the spine and consume the spinal fluid!" He hands Historia the injection, leaving it to her to perform 'her duty.' Reiss takes a few steps back. "Hurry up, HIstoria!"

Historia holds the injection over her left arm, fumbling her thoughts over whether or not to perform the ritual. If it can save humanity, shouldn't she do so? Another thought crosses her mind s she looks up to her chained friend, Eren. Despite being wounded, he hasn't attempted to transform. "Eren, why? Why aren't you transforming? If I become a Titan, you'll get eaten! At this rate-"

Eren raises his bloody head up, his eyes brimming with tears. "It shouldn't have happened. Me, my dad, too… If five years ago, he hadn't done that here… Your sister...wouldn have been able to do something, right? But my dad stole the Power of the Titans from its rightful place. Just how many died for that? Armin's grandpa, Thomas, Nack, Mina, Milieus, Marco, those guys on Levi Squad, the people of Stohess, those soldiers who came to save me, Mr. Hannes… I can never atone for it all. It shouldn't have happened. Those days of training, that dream beyond the wall… I...shouldn't have happened. So, at the least...let it end at your hand. Eat me. Save humanity. It's all...up to you."

"Eren…" Historia has a vision of her mother leaving her for the last time. There's no reason for such an image to be produced, yet somehow...it shapes her decision.

"That time, when you called me a normal person, I was so happy..." She lowers the syringe, letting it prick her skin. She hates her choice, but it must be done.

"_So you're trying to do something 'nice,' huh?"_

Historia's breath scatters as Ymir's words to her so long ago come back to haunt her. "What's wrong, Historia," Reiss asks. "Are you scared? All you have to do is inject that liquid into your body."

"Father… Why… Why didn't the Reiss family...in that whole 100 years...eliminate the Titans and liberate humanity? All while possessing the power to control all the Titans?"

"Because, the first Reiss King who built this world within the walls, wished for us to be controlled by the Titans. The first King believed that was the only path to true peace. But I do not know why. It's only known by those who see the world's memories. Long ago, I, along with my brother, pleaded with our father to free humanity from the Titans, time and time again. However, he would not fulfill our wish. Eventually, it came time for my father to pass on that role. When my brother inherited the Power of the Titans and I looked into his eyes, I understood what that meant. To create this world, to govern its very foundation, to be an omnipotent being is to be what my brother became. Do you know what we call that? God. What we call that...is God. And my duty is to bring God back to our world and offer them my prayers. I'm praying, Historia, for God to lead and guide humanity!" Reiss guides his daughter's hand, assisting her to inject the serum.

"_Christa, I have no right to tell you how to live your life. So actually, this is nothing more than a hope of mine… I want you...to live a life you're proud of."_

"_No!"_ Christa tossed the syringe aside to the ground, much to her father's horror. He grabs her furiously. "Historia!" Her training kicking in, Historia flips her father on his back, possibly breaking it based on the gasps he produces.

"God, my ass! You're just giving yourself an out and manipulating other people! I've had it! I won't let you kill me!" She grabs her father's bag and runs up to Eren, taking out a set of keys from the bag.

"What are you doing, Historia?"

"We're leaving, Eren."

"Hey, stop it! If I go on living, everyone will keep suffering! Hurry up and eat me! I can't take living like this!"

Historia punches the side of Eren's head. "Shut up, idiot! Just shut up, crybaby! Exterminate the Titans? Who the hell wants to do that bullshit? I'm starting to hate humanity! Let 'em get wiped out by Titans! I'm humanity's biggest enemy! Got it? I'm the worst girl who ever lived!" You escape from here. I'll destroy everything else-" Golden light blinds Historia and Eren as an enormous skeleton curl up in the chamber.

Rod Reiss is becoming a Titan.

* * *

_Joshua_

"Shit, they blocked it off." Levi looks from me up to a hole in the ceiling of the tunnel, where we possible could escape, then back to me.

"They could be on the other side, sir. What do you-" A bright yellow light from deeper in the cavern blinds us Scouts. The light of a transforming Titan. "What the hell?"

"That's… A Titan transformed!"

"Eren!" A gust of wind follows the light, not strong to knock us off our feet like Bertholdt's but not typical of Eren's transformation. Up ahead, I hear voices from people directly behind the net. Seems the Interior Police believe in a mission well done.

"Th-This place is gonna collapse!"

"Lieutenant! The hole!" We look to where Armin gestures. Now unblocked, the hole in the ceiling is accessible.

"Armin! Moblit! Take Hange and get the hell out of here!" The rest of us enter the hole, using it as a way to escape the enemy ahead of us. It leads us directly to the source of all this mayhem, for once it isn't Eren. It also leads me to a girl in my arms.

"Joshua?"

"Hey, Historia, how are you?" Levi lands in front of us, and I toss him the keys to help Eren get loose. Jean and Conny fight the air to assist the lieutenant while Sasha, Mikasa, and I stay back. Seems someone pushed Eren's switch because now he's back to being a bitch-ass crybaby. I ignore it for the literal bigger problem in front of us. "What the hell is that?"

"That's way bigger than the Colossal Titan, isn't it?"

"You might be right, Sasha." The ceiling comes down as the hulking mass of Titan flesh continues to expand. Luckily the guys manage to get Eren and themselves to the wall me and the girls are set on.

"Shit! There's no way out."

"Stating the obvious, Jean!" I turn to Eren, hoping he'll transform, but the bastard instead tears up and sits on his ass.

"I'm sorry, everyone...I've been nothing but useless. Ever since the very beginning, I was never the hope of humanity."

"What's this," Jean states. "Think you're some tragic hero? When have you ever accomplished anything by your strength alone?"

Conny scoffs. "What a weakling. We've been through much worse than this."

"Not that I want to get used to it," shouts Sasha.

"Still, it's going to such trying to navigate through all that."

"I'll take Eren."

I turn to Christa. "I can't go nice and slow for your Historia, so hold on for your life."

"Right."

"It's useless. We can't escape."

"So do nothing? You wanna sit here and hold hands till we're crushed or burn to death? Because we're enemies of humanity?"

"You know, I hate doing this to you every time, but...Eren, you gotta make the choice." I don't know what runs through Eren's head, but somehow Levi's words spring him to action. He grabs something and runs towards the light, transforming into his Titan. Kneeling in place, crystal-like material shoots out around Eren.

"Is… Yes, it is…" Was it because of that vial that Eren now has his hardening ability? Whatever the cause is, under Levi's orders we take shelter Eren and his net-like hardening sheet.

* * *

"That's what I call hardening." We gaze up to Eren's Titan, the mold of the beast still retaining shape. It is an amazing ability, to even withstand a cave-in. "Even after cutting you away, the Titan hasn't disappeared. Pretty impressive, yeah?"

"That bottle… Oh, yeah! Right before I turned into a Titan, I drank that 'Armor' bottle."

"Yeah. You couldn't do it at all before now, but you used the hardening power and saved all of us. In a blink of an eye, you devised nd built all this. Yeah, the construction looks shoddy, but… I bet that's how the walls were made, too. In other words, it's possible for us to plug that hole in Wall Maria now. A lot of enemies and allies have died along the way, and getting this far hasn't been pretty. But for as ugly s it's been, look at the position we're in now."

"Lieutenant, we've secured an exit!"

"Armin's safe! Hange and Moblit, too!" We glance up to Sasha and Conny coming back down from the surface.

"Well done."

"Eren!"

"You okay?"

Sasha drops to the ground, almost bowing to Eren...yes, I'm jealous I never got bowed to. "We're all safe, thanks to you. But to be perfectly honest, when you ran off prancing while crying like a baby, I thought we were doomed. 'It's over, over! Get it together, nincompoop! Quit bawling like a snotty-nosed brat!' is what I thought."

I lift Sasha to her feet, smiling to Eren. "I had much harsher words, but since you were already bleeding and I did enough killing for the day, I couldn't muster calling you the biggest asshole I know."

"Hey," Levi says, "let's go. We're going after that big-ass Titan."

* * *

Big is a fucking understatement.

Now back on grassy ground, we can see a big cloud of debris that marks the Titan's location. In size, it is definitely bigger than Bertholdt's Colossal, but unlike Bertholdt, this Titan is unable to support its body on its thin limbs, leaving it to simply crawl on the ground.

"Erwin." We come to a halt as Commander Erwin approaches the wagon.

"Everyone all right?"

"Hange's our only casualty."

"Seems like nothing too serious. Well done, everyone."

"I've got a whole slew of things to report, but first…"

"What's that Titan?"

"It's Rod Reiss. I think we need your call on this, Commander."

Eren gazes at Historia, then turns his head to her father's new form. "Regardless, we don't have the time to stand here and chat. Return to Wall Sina."

"You're going to let that big ass crawl right up to the wall?"

"To Orvud District, actually. That's most likely where it's headed."

I take a look away from Erwin and Levi to the gigantic monstrosity ahead of us. Rod Reiss, that son of a bitch...


	30. Her Kingdom Come: Zero Eclipse

**Time for another double upload! I didn't feel like editing last week at all, since it was my Fall Break, so I here you guys go, two chapters in one day.**

**In the next chapter, I decided, for the sake of story, to have Eren and company meet with Commandant Sadies before they're at the farm with Historia, but it is a minor adjustment. While you're reading that chapter, you might see a little...hint to the future (if you know, you know). I have nothing to say about that now, but while we're on the topic of the future of this story, Chapters 32 onward (whatever gets us through the end of the past season) will be coming out slower than expected. But I believe I'll still be on my schedule to end this story.**

**Enjoy Chapters 30 and 31, see you guys soon.**

* * *

"Let's put this all together. Basically, Rod Reiss was after the Founding Titan, the Titan power inside Eren. However, unless it's in someone with Reiss blood, you won't get its true potential. Though, even if a Reiss obtains the Founding Titan's power, they're controlled by the First King's will and refuse to liberate humanity from the Titans. Well, isn't that interesting."

Interesting indeed. Hearing Eren and Historia spill the details on what they've learned from Reiss, it makes sense why Reiss and the former government would want to keep this power secret. It seems Eren can't tap into it anymore due to being unable to control Reiss' Titan earlier. It makes me question whether or not Reiner and Bertholdt know about this power. Since Grisha Jaeger knew, he had to know about it from somewhere.

"According to the First King, this is true peace? Now that's a weird way to look at it."

"In other words," Eren says, "we still have an option. If that Titan eats me, Rod Reiss will return to a human. Which means it's still possible to have a true Founding Titan."

"You can't…"

"Seems that way," Levi interrupts Mikasa. "We could capture Rod Reiss once he becomes a human. Undo the First King's brainwashing. If we could do that, it might open a path to save humanity. Plus, Eren… Are you saying you're fully prepared to let that happen?"

Eren turns to Levi and with a soft voice says, "I am."

Our reactions varied, mine simply being a frown. Riding beside me is Mikasa, and as usual, she's against it. "Eren, you can't…"

"You're forgetting our other option," Historia states. "First of all, the current plan is full of flaws. One, there's no proof that you can undo Rod Reiss' brainwashing. No matter how you restrain him, if he alters humanity's memories, it's over. Basically, there are too many factors about the Founding Titan that we just don't know."

"True," Armin concurs. "Even if Rod Reiss eats Eren, we have no guarantee that he'll return to normal."

"Mmm. On the other hand, all we've ever known is destructive pacifists. But as it stands, the Founding Titan was taken from them. This is a once in a lifetime chance for humanity." She turns to Eren. "Yes, your father was trying to save us and humanity from the First King. He stole the Founding Titan from my sister, murdered all of the Reiss children because he had no other choice."

Eren slowly grabs his head. "Dad…"

"That's right! The Dr. Jaeger I know wouldn't do something like that for no reason at all."

"Right. Even without having Reiss blood, there must be a way to save humanity. That's why he left you the key to the basement."

"What basement?" Sasha inquires. "Oh, that whole thing? You mean it's actually important?"

"Uh, yeah," Conny answers.

"We've finally got a way to plug up the wall," Jean says. "The way I see it, there's only one choice."

"The elimination of Reiss," I say softly, to not offend Historia.

"That makes life a little easier," Levi comments.

"If it means anything, I agree with that choice. Though, are you sure about this, Historia? We can't exactly have a Titan like that wandering around inside the walls. One that big, we can't restrain. Meaning… We'll have to kill your father and there's no way around it."

Historia says nothing for a moment before she looks to the field in front of her. "Eren. I'm sorry."

"Eh?"

"Underneath the Reiss chapel, I really considered becoming a Titan and killing you. What's more, not even to save humanity, only because I wanted to believe my father. I didn't want my father to hate me… But now, it's time to say goodbye."

If the situation wasn't so dire, I would have laughed at Mikasa's frowning face.

* * *

_Inside Orvud District_

"_All right. My next duty is to be Queen, right? Understood. Thanks for your concern. But whether or not it's forced on me is up to me to decide, I think. However, Lieutenant, I do have one condition. Since my fate is my own, I want to lay it all on the line."  
_

Historia walks into the meeting room, placing herself between Mikasa and Eren behind Lieutenant Levi. I watch as Mikasa leans over, telling Historia something about when she's queen, "you can punch that runt in the face."

"We've determined the location of Rod Reiss' Titan," a soldier reports. "It's southwest, approaching Orvud. At this rate, it should reach Orvud District by dawn."

"Understood."

"Commander Erwin, we'd like to hear what your plan is," the captain of Orvud's Garrison Regiment asks our commander. "How do you intend to evacuate the citizens in time?"

"We won't evacuate."

"Wh-What?" Every Garrison soldier in the room has a mild heart attack while us Scouts, used to these wild ideas of our commander (and for us of the 104th, our own insane plans) stay calm.

"We'll have the citizens remain in Orvud District just as they are."

"Are you insane? What the hell are you thinking, Erwin? Keep the citizens in the city without evacuating? By the time it's dawn, that Titan will be all over us!"

"That Titan is an Abnormal," Hange states.

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"The target Titan is strangely attracted to high concentrations of people. Hence, Abnormal. It means the fellow will turn a blind eye to a small village, ignoring it in favor of reaching this fortified city. If right now, you were to evacuate the citizens within Wall Sina, it will be drawn towards them, destroying the wall and all in its path. In the end, it would reach Mitras, with the greatest density of people and deliver a devastating blow to humanity. On our way back, we attempted to use Eren Jaeger's power to control Titans, but Rod Reiss' Titan showed no reaction."

"If we are to stop that Titan, we must do so outside the walls of Orvud District. For that to happen, we must have the citizens act as bait. However, this does not change the fact that our first duty as soldiers is to protect the citizens. Supposing we're unable to halt the target, we'll take measures so that not a single citizen is killed. We'll announce an emergency evacuation drill for Orvud District so that if needed, the citizens will be ready to evacuate at once."

"It seems there's no other choice," the captain says.

"The body of our target is the largest we've seen. As such, it presents an easy target. Wall-mounted cannons should prove highly effective, but if that's not enough to bring it down, the Scout Regiment will throw everything we have at it.

All eyes look to Eren, putting the pressure on him.

* * *

_The following morning_

"That is one beefy bastard." I cross my arms as we watch the approach of Reiss. By now, the cannons try their best to slow him down, but I'm sure the civilians can see the cloud of steam over the wall. On the other side, Reiss powers through the cannon fire, unaffected by our weaponry. I don't believe the cannons are ineffective, but the sweet spot of Reiss-his nape-is tucked between his head and his back. Even with the angle of the cannons on top of Wall Sina, they haven't been able to directly hit the nape.

After several successive rounds of fire, we're unable to see Reiss behind the mixture of smoke and steam. Most of the shots made contact with Reiss, so hopefully there's some damage, especially to his arms. "Well, how's that?" Reiss' arm breaks through the barrier, tossing a tree at the Garrison soldiers on the ground. I guess the commander now has the answer to his question. "The ground cannons seem even less effective."

"Of course they are. The wall cannons barely hit the nape, even with a better angle. What's the problem?"

"It's a mishmash of soldiers, cannons they scrapped together, superficial leadership… To top it off, this is a northern region. Unlike troops on the front lines, they have no battle experience. However, this is the best we're going to get, and that's a fact."

"Yeah, that much is painfully obvious. Yet again, your strategy for the Scouts boils down to another gamble. Just like everything else you conjure up." As Hange approaches with the artillery for Erwin's plan, I focus on the approaching Titan being peppered by cannon fire. All I can think about at this moment is how we'll take this one down. Erwin's plan is feasible and at this rate, we're going to have to enact it. I cut my eyes to the others, specifically Eren. The most pivotal point of our plan relies on him. If he fails, we die. If he bitches out, we die.

"Hey," he says to me and Armin. "The kids in this city remind me of us on that day."

"Yeah," Armin replies. "Nobody thinks today is the day a Titan bigger than the wall attacks. They might end up seeing the same sight as we did that day."

"But there's one big difference. Atop the walls, soldiers stand to face the Titan." I look up to Eren, staring straight into his emerald irises. "And that would be us. No Titan will kick the outer gate open, no Titan will consume one's mother, no Titan will charge through the inner gate. We are here...and it stops here. Then, soon after today...we're going home."

"Eren," Mikasa says from the stack of barrels, "there's no time to stop. Keep your hands busy." He does just that, but to our surprise, not the way Mikasa meant. Eren begins to punch himself until Mikasa restrains him.

"Eren, what the hell is with you?"

"Making a wound? It's too early for that!"

"No, just beating the shit out of a useless brat. I hope he's dead and gone for good."

I chuckle as Mikasa releases Eren. "Then let me get a punch in for good measure."

* * *

Reiss makes it to Sina, thus exposing his nape to the cannons. On the Garrison captain's command, the cannons target the nape, but before they can fire, Reiss emits a powerful blast of steam, much like Bertholdt back at Wall Rose. We're throttled by the heat (due to a sudden change of direction from the wind, as Levi puts it), but unable to do anything much about it except to prepare ourselves for the second phase of our plan. The Garrison fires anyway, but it is largely ineffective as a large crash is heard afterward. It is Reiss impacting his head near the top of the wall. Then comes his hands upon us, and much like that day, a Titan rises above the wall. Just to provide some perspective, Bertholdt's head came above the wall; Reiss is a fucking torso taller. The skin and bones of the anterior side of his body are gone, exposing the interior of his face and his guts. I don't think there's anything more terrifying than seeing intestines fall out of a large Titan.

"Holy fucking hell." We douse ourselves with water as us Scouts prepare our attack.

"Eren, we're up," Armin says.

"Right. Oh, Armin, Joshua another thing's different from then. It might not be all they hoped for, but now, humanity has an ace up their sleeve." I give Eren a thumbs up as we rush to join Mikasa by our explosive barrel as he transforms. Now in position, we wait for Erwin's signal. According to the plan, these barrels, one with us, one with Sasha and the others, will work like ODM gear. They'll hook to Reiss' hands, be reeled in, and explode on impact, but the most important aspect is timing. They must be fired simultaneously...or so it is said.

"Let the attack commence!" Erwin fires a red signal, and the barrels' hooks are fired. Once they prick the Titan's hands, they are reeled in, exploding on impact. With a pained roar, Reiss topples over, losing his balance. Once Reiss' face is low enough, Erwin calls for Eren, and our Titan rushes towards the enemy with the barrels full of gunpowder. That's my contribution to this plan.

"_So you're saying in order to defeat that Titan, we'll stuff gunpowder into its throat and hope it's enough to blow up its nape?"_

"_Correct. I believe Joshua when it says it'll work."_

_I hold up one of our smaller explosives, like the one that saved me days ago. "If these little explosives we have can damage the interior side of a nape of a normal-sized Titan, this plan should work too."  
_"_With the heat that it's producing, I imagine it'll ignite without a detonator. So as long as it hangs its mouth wide open for us like an idiot."_

"_An explosion against its nape won't have the desired effect. Which is why the explosion must go off from the inside. But the target may be protecting itself by dragging its face along the ground. For all we know, it may not even have a mouth to open. That's the gamble this time."_

A gamble that paid off. With an open target, Eren manages to throw the barrels into Reiss' half-destroyed mouth. With a tense delay, the barrels ignite, causing multiple explosions on the upper third of Reiss' body. Fragments of his body fly out in the direction of the city, most likely including his nape. "All troops! Finish it off with ODM gear!"

"_It may be gigantic, but its vitals are still one meter high and ten centimeters across. Unless we destroy the main body, it will regenerate and form another shield of heat. We only got one shot."_

"Where is it?" Fragment after fragment, I fail to take out the actual nape. That's until I catch sight of a bulky mass dropping down into the city, and a golden streak giving chase. That's the nape...and Historia. With one strike, she cuts through her father but is caught in a huge explosion afterward.

"Historia!" I chase after her falling body, catching her right before we land on a cart. Groaning in pain, we lie in place for a minute. Shifting my head, I get a very close up look of Historia's face. A very...criminalizing closeness, but to avoid being in an awkward encounter, I decided to speak instead of thinking of more basic instincts. "You okay?"

"I think you took the brunt of the fall."

"I think so too… nice job, by the way." We resume silence, but after a few seconds, I turn away, breathing heavily and just so happen to realize we have an audience. Of course, we have an audience. Historia rises up, most likely thinking of other things rather than our compromising position. She stands up to the crowd.

"I am… I am Historia Reiss. The true ruler of the walls." The people, now knowing their savior is also their ruler, begin to clap and cheer for Historia. She looks down at me, so I provide a semi-awkward smile before looking away, seeing our friends on the rooftop above. We did it.

* * *

_Days later…_

Historia's coronation was quite the event. Seeing her in royal robes instead of our uniform is quite different, but something we'll have to get used to. Something… I'll have to get used to now. Ymir, I wonder...did she imagine this happening one day?

"Hold on… You're seriously doing it, Historia?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Mikasa was just joking about it! Right, Mikasa?"

"After you smack him, tell him this, 'I dare you to hit me back.'"

Joshua, make them see sense!"

"No way." I ignore Eren's pleas as we of the 104th search for Lieutenant Levi to fulfill Mikasa's earlier advice to Historia.

"Damn you… If it's not a real grudge, just forget it."

"If I can't do this, how can I call myself Queen?"

"Hell yeah, Historia," Jean shouts. "That's the spirit!" We spot the lieutenant standing by a window, so he steps out the light to confront us. Expecting HIstoria'a punch, he stands silently while the queen begins to nervously quake. With a shout, she runs over and punches Levi's arm without retaliation.

"How you like that? I'm the Queen! If you got a problem-"

To the shock of all of us, Levi chuckles. "Thank you...all of you."

* * *

_At Wall Maria_

"Reiner!" Bertholdt runs to a beaten and battered Armored Titan, helping its shifter out of the decaying body. He turns to the looming Beast Titan that sits in place.

"I won. Saving Annie can come later. Retrieving the Coordinate is our top priority, as it should be." The shifter of the Beast Titan exposes himself, standing on the Titan's shoulder. "If we just wait here, it'll come to us.


	31. Before I Return Home

_Two months later_

Seeing Mikasa take the load from Eren because "'he's tired from the experiments'" is damn lie as she and Eren argue once more about her overprotectiveness. Historia and I shake our heads as I offer to take her load and leave the pair to themselves. It almost brought back a sense of familiarity that I hadn't felt in two months.

"So I hear you've been helping Hange with some new technology. With the glowing ore found in the underground cavern."

"Yes. We're calling them 'iceburst stones' and with those ores, we've been up to much with our weaponry. Also, I helped with the Titan guillotine mission outside Trost, leading our bratty friends officially as a squad leader. Reinforced by Eren's hardening, we can kill Titans without dropping a man into a fight. I cannot lie though, as much as I am liking bettering our equipment and the like… I'm ready for Shiganshina."

Historia nods as she folds her hands behind her back. "I understand. I ask Eren what he would do if he met Reiner and Bertholdt again… What about you? Do you think...you could actually kill them?"

I bit my lip. "Are you asking me as a soldier or as me?"

"As you."

"Reiner… Yes. Yes, I would, it's all I ever swore. But Bertholdt...maybe. But before I even consider it, I have to know why they hate us. I need answers. I need to know...what the basement may not be able to answer. I need to know why they spent three years among us, why they befriended us, why I shouldn't...kill them. I need to know that there's not a shred of humanity in them, that I am truly facing monsters wearing human skin, not humans playing monsters. And then… I'll deal with their deaths."

"Oh…"

I sigh. "Well, it isn't all too bad. We got some new recruits, some of them idiots from the 104th who joined the Garrison. Bunch of optimistic dumbasses...but I guess we were the same as recruits. I also guess it makes sense, after all, since we're on the verge of retaking Wall Maria. But as for us… Eren asks 'who exactly are we fighting against' and I don't have that answer… Speaking of that, you'll never guess who we revisted. Eren's memories of the guy his father met, that bastard is Commandant Keith Sadies himself."

"Really?"

"Yes. Hearing the man talk without sticking a sword up your ass was more terrifying than anything, but he spoke of Eren's father. Nothing of value...but two things stuck out. He was found outside Wall Maria...and he was quite curious about the world. He also had a crush on Eren's mother before she married his father, hehe."

"Guess it explains why he was a hardass on Eren."

"Yeah. It was he who tampered with Eren's harness back then." I look up to the sky, noticing how much time has passed since we began talking and sat in the grass. "Everyone must wonder where we are."

"Yeah...but I don't want to go. If we go, you go back to a soldier, me a Queen." We share a glance and an agreeing smile. Queen's orders and I have to obey. I set the boxes to the side and we silently stare at the lowering sun in silence. No more words, just silent enjoyment of each other's company. For the first time in two months, I finally have a sense of familiarity with happier days.

In two more months, I'll be sent back to hell.

* * *

_The night before..._

"Great work, Conny," I say as we and Eren manage to tie a savage Sasha to a column inside the mess hall. Something about us having meat really set her off worst than anyone. Jean and Marlo will be nursing their wounds.

"That should do it. She finally ran out of energy."

"Can you believe this freak? And to think she once offered to share meat with everyone."

I cut Conny a glare for calling my girlfriend a 'freak' but can't help but smile alongside it. "Yeah."

"Huh? When?"

"Four months ago, when we were servicing the cannons."

_"Can you guys keep a secret?" We look to an approaching Sasha, holding her jacket tightly on her right side. "'Cause I totally just helped myself to the Officers' Pantry."_

_We all tense up. We are used to Sasha stealing food over the last three years (and getting better at not getting caught) but to steal from the officers? "Sasha! They can throw your butt off the clink for that!"_

_"Seriously, what is wrong with you?"_

_"What isn't wrong with her?"_

_"It'll be fine," Sasha responds with the most aroused face I've ever seen directed towards food. "I'm willing to share. Oh, can you imagine the sandwiches?"_

_She begins to shake with the possibilities she can have with the meat, which scares me more than her having it. "Somebody needs to take it from her, but I don't know if that's a good idea."_

_Eren yells at her again. "Put it back!"_

_"Yeah," Mina says from behind me. "Do you have any idea how rare meat's been since the Titans took Wall Maria?"_

_"Um, a little bit. Yeah." Sasha walks towards a pair of boxes and places the meat in one of them. "Just look of it this way. Pretty soon, we'll take back all the room we need for livestock."_

_A moment of silence is between us before one of us, Samuel, breaks. "I would really like a slice, please!"_

_Conny follows. "Hey, if he gets one, so do I. Just so you know."_

_"Me too!" I turn to Mina, herself excited for the prospect of meat. "I'm in on it, too!"_

_"But…"_

_"Eren." He turns to me as I smile back. "Let's be honest, they're not going to miss the meat Sasha stole. Sasha, leave it to me. I'll grill it for us!"_

_"Come on! Don't just stand there." We look to Samuel, sticking a pole inside one of the cannons. Thomas and Sasha walk off as Conny returns to his knees beside the cannon he's paired with Samuel. "If they see us slacking off, we're in for it."_

_Mina chuckles as she places a kiss on my cheek and walks off. "See you guys at lunchtime."_

I lower my brow in remembrance of that day. It's really been four months since… I find my hand unconsciously at my throat, holding on to a piece of string. The necklace...it's been four months since I last noticed it. Thoughts of them who died that day and along the way to now flooding my mind. Marco, Thomas, Samuel… Miche, Nanaba, Gregor, Nifa, Petra, Oruo, Eld, Gunther… Ymir… Mina. So many lost to us (though I suspect Ymir is somewhere around alive) just to get to this place. So many more corpses to place along the road to victory.

"Hey."

"Only four months have passed since back then?"

"Only four months. But think, in just four months, we're in Squad Levi. We climbed the ranks in a flash."

Eren places his hand on Conny's slick head. "It's 'cuz you're a genius."

"Damn straight I am."

"Please," I scoff, returning to my jovial mood. "Yes, you're in Squad Levi, but I was a Scout before we even graduated. Take that, genius."

"Lucky bastard you are, Joshua. Anyway, let's eat before our food gets cold." Of course, at that moment, Sasha regains energy, but we choose to ignore her for later. Of course, I totally forget about her once Eren and Jean have a good, old-fashioned slugfest full of insults. Normally, we'll break it up, but when Mikasa is somewhat enjoying the fight, no one decides to step up.

Until the lieutenant does so. Telling everyone to depart, we shuffle out the mess hall, or at least I almost make it out before desperate grunting makes it to my ears. "Shit." I turn around, grabbing my half-full plate from the table and step over to Sasha. Removing the cloth from her mouth, I chuckle at her helplessness. "Hey, babe."

"Let me out!" I undo the rope, letting her free. However, I know my best friend. I pull back the plate of food before she can grab it (I still have a nice slice of meat), much to her disdain. "Joshua," she whines.

"Come." I take a seat at our table, pushing the plate to the space beside me. She sits down but doesn't immediately take part in the meal. Instead, she looks at me with a slight smile.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Can I ask you something?"

I frown. This isn't going to go well. "Umm...sure?"

She leans on the table, twirling a fork on the plate. "I know we haven't seen much of each other in recent months, and when we do, it is because our squads are working together, so it's not free time. But… I heard from a little birdie that-"

"It's not like that, Sasha!" I truly had no idea what she was talking about, but my mind jumped to the conclusion that a certain...royal was the topic. "I mean, Historia is...but I would never do that to you!" Yes, part of me is telling her that because I mean it, but the other part just saw her uninhibited by her humanity because of meat. Imagine her angry. I like my hand and my nose.

Sasha suddenly begins to laugh. "Oh my, you thought I was talking about Historia? I mean, yes I heard, but I know you wouldn't."

"Then...what are you talking about?"

"I heard that you went to Dauper to check on my pa and the villagers. I've been too busy to do so, and wanted to ask how are they?"

I sigh heavily. "Why couldn't you start the conversation off more casually? Anyway, they're great. Your father actually took in the girl you saved. Her name is Kaya. When I saw her, she asked all about her 'big sister' and told me how much she wanted to be a hero like you."

Sasha points to herself. "Me? A hero?"

"Yes. You saved her not because of what you are, but who you are. You help those who need it, Sasha. You just don't realize it. To Kaya, your father, to Dauper, you are a hero."

Sasha smiles through the piece of meat in her mouth. "I guess so. But that's thanks to you though."

I nod as I stand up. "Yeah, I know." Leaning down, I kiss Sasha's forehead. "Your father is also thinking of taking in orphans for the farm. Try not to get close to the kids. They'll be the death of you."

Sasha pouts at my joke but doesn't let me leave before capturing my lips in hers. Once she releases me, she whispers, "If a child is my death, what is that to you?"

"My everlasting scorn of little people."

* * *

"I'm glad we met the commandant," I hear Eren say as I sit down on a set of steps to the right of Mikasa. "I.. It' doesn't… Whether I'm spunky or not, I'll do what I have to do. But yeah, it's easier now. Kept thinking about stuff I can't change and wondering why I can't be strong like Mikasa, Joshua, and the lieutenant. I was jealous. But even you and the lieutenant...alone, you can't do much. Which is why we've all gotta find the things we can do and by joining together, that's what makes us powerful. Every person is different. And it's for times like this."

"Yeah," Armin says with a smile. "I think you're right." We look ahead, simultaneously gasping as we see Hannes with a woman walking across the street. No, who we all believed was Hannes.

"Once we retake Wall Maria and defeat all the enemies coming for us, will they come back? Those days?"

"We'll bring it back," Eren tells Mikasa. "But some things are forever changed. We'll make them pay for that."

"Indeed."

"Yeah."

"But there's more than that. The sea. A salt lake so big that merchants could spend their whole lives and still not get all that salt. There's more than just Titans outside the walls. Fiery water, lands of ice, sandy snowfields… I joined the Scouts so I could see all that."

"Y-yeah. You sure did."

Armin suddenly stands up. "Right? Let's start by seeing the sea! You still doubt that it's real, Eren! You'll see! It does exist!"

"Alright then. Guess we'll to go see."

"It's a promise, then! You have to! We can explore the outside world! It's gotta be way bigger than inside the walls"

"Okay, I get it."

Mikasa turns to me. "Yet another conversation only those two get."

I chuckle. "Maybe when we get there, we'll understand."

* * *

_Why did the earth and heavens separate from one another? __Though the world may be cruel, it can also be beautiful. _

Just before sunset the next day...it's finally time.

Below us is the civilians of Trost, gathered to give us our send-off. But unlike before, it seems to more than the normal mood. For the first time that I can recall, the Scouts are being celebrated. "Weird, isn't it, Eren? All these years, no one cheered for the Scouts, but on this day, we're championed as heroes."

He nods. "That means we must deliver." Several screams come from the top of the wall, some from our friends and even one roar comes from the commander with a raised fist.

_Those that throw the stones and those who are in turn hit by them, between the two sides stands a fence not crossed so easily. _

"We have a lot riding on us," Armin softly says. "So many expectations. If we fail…"

"We won't," Mikasa sharply says. "We will win. We will retake Wall Maria. We will retake our home."

_But by changing where we stand, justice will come to bare its fangs. So who is it really that's been left howling within the cage? _

Commander Erwin turns to us Scouts with a drawn blade. "The final operation to retake Wall Maria will now commence!" Immediately we use the lifts to lower ourselves and the horses to the ground outside of Trost, lining up in formation. Minutes later, with one hundred Scouts wearing the wings of freedom on their backs, Erwin saddles his white horse and gives his first order. "Advance!"

Tomorrow morning, we will arrive at Shinganshina. Tomorrow morning, our fight for freedom comes to an end. Mikasa is right, no matter the cost, we won't let humanity down. We will reclaim the wall, then we will explore the world as Armin desires. Humanity's last requiem rides with us.

_The hearts offered to a dusk we can no longer get back. Will paradise wait for us at the end of this ever-continuing night? Requiem, Requiem, o' nameless flower who lost its petals tonight. Please, rest peacefully when dawn breaks. _

As we advance, Reiner and Bertholdt wait...


	32. Battle of Wall Maria: Homecoming

**Welcome back. As I have said before, this is my favorite arc of the story, so I'm happy to be continuing from this moment on. I still have a few episodes to write, so updates will be slow.**

**Thanks for all the support through 32 chapters, and enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

_That night..._

"Sorry you're stuck with my horse."

"You're supposed to be saving your energy."

"Yeah, I know."

"She's right. Rest up, Eren-Ow!"

Shaking my hand from the rough contact with Conny's head, I chastise him. "Don't say his name, idiot."

"Oh...yeah. Sorry."

"Assume this place is swarming with enemies," Jean says. A second later, he's shouting, "Titan on the left! Everyone halt! Light up the area!" We hold our lights to the Titan slumped on the side of the road, but he makes no movement.

"It's all right," Hange says. "He's fast asleep. This lad must not be one of those new types that moves at night. That's too bad. Let him be."

I look to Hange. "You sound disappointed, Section Commander."

"This moonless night must be protecting us. Light from the moon is reflected sunlight. The new type of Titan, you know we think they use that minuscule amount of reflected light to move. Using the new moon was the right move. There's no guarantee we won't have a repeat of before. That lad may be one of those "Moonlight Titans' for all we know. Hope we capture one someday!"

"Yeah." I look around, trying to get a bearing on our surroundings. It's been five years, but the scenery hasn't changed much. Having lived inside the inner gate, not actually within the walled town, I've become accustomed to the land outside of Shiganshina within Wall Maria. "I think we're close. Not much further out these woods, anyway."

Moblit nods. "How are you feeling, Joshua? To be back home after so long…"

I drop my head. "To be honest, there's not a single word to describe how I feel. I'm happy to be home, but I'm sad that, no matter what, to enter the town I must pass by that spot where my parents were crushed. That incites my anger at Reiner. Yet, the part of me that feels fear is also present because if we fail here...there's no hope at all. For the first time since Annie, I'm deathly afraid."

"I see. Then it is good to know you are human in some ways." He leans a little closer to my ears. "You haven't been influenced by Hange too much." I think this is the first time he calls Hange by her name without her title. I laugh as he straightens up. "But no matter how you feel, you should be proud that you made it this far. I know Hange and I are. You've grown since that first mission you had beyond Wall Rose."

"It's thanks to you both for seeing my potential before I actually graduated." Looking forward to the path, I begin to sing a tune to break my less than sunny thoughts in my head. "In the trail where bows and arrows fly through, spread your wings even if you have to hide away your burdened heart. It's too early for the dawn of requiem to arise as the sun has yet to set. Keep going beyond the endless moving waves."

"I can see the foot," A Scout shouts. "There's signs of a trail."

"It's so close," Eren says to Mikasa, Armin, and me.

"I can hear the river."

"Finally, we're back."

"The first time since we fled from here… Back to our hometown..."

* * *

"Be on guard for Titans hiding in the shadows! Our operation begins now! All troops, switch to ODM gear!" I raise up on my horse, propelling my hooks towards the wall and taking off for the top. A sea of green, white, and brown soars the air outside of Shiganshina. As I ascend, I notice a large rubble on the ground near the broken inner gate. The size, the placement, that is indeed the mark of my parents' grave. I gaze away for a moment to stick the landing on top of Maria, then look down to my personal reminder to five years ago.

We're back. We're really back and we will avenge the fallen here and now.

"Don't stop! Head for the outer gate!"

"Roger!" I follow Levi, Eren, Mikasa, Armin and the other Scouts of Squad Levi and Squad Hange. Our position in Commander Erwin's plan is to escort Eren around the city, first to the outer gate to seal it up from the outside world, then head back to the inner gate. With Shiganshina isolated, we will exterminate any remaining Titans in the city, hopefully including the Colossal, Beast, and Armored Titans.

With Armin lagging behind, I trail behind Eren alongside Mikasa as we launch along the side wall of the city. I look towards the center, noting that Eren's house, while I don't know the true location, is somewhere in the area. I also notice a weird lack of Titans roaming the area, but if they've all come through by now, I guess it makes sense.

Green signal flares from the inner gate. We're good to go. Eren pushes forward, preparing to go forth with the Titan transformation and hardening. He can do this… No, we all can do this. "We're free!" He shouts as he scales over the wall, transforming outside of Maria. An illuminating stroke of lightning sends our hope of freedom towards the hole Bertholdt kicked in five years ago and hardens our resolve in crystalline form.

I smirk as Mikasa zips down to retrieve Eren. One down, one to go."  
"Don't let your guard down," I heard Hange say. "Keep on the lookout." Mikasa comes back with Eren, so me, her, and Levi step over to them.

"How's your ODM gear?"

"It's fine, but I did manage to lose my cloak." Mikasa hands hers to him, so he stands up and covers his face. "Thanks."

Green smoke signals scale the wall on both sides. The hole is officially plugged. "Good work, Eren," I say. "Now we plug the inner gate? How are you?"

"No problems here. I'm ready like we trained."

I turn to Hange, nodding a silent message. She receives it quite well. "We'll head for the inner gate! While we're on the move, remember to hide your faces!"

While we run, Eren looks down to the ruined city. "I really plugged the hole? And that easily?"

"You did it," Mikasa replies. "Believe in your own power."

Eren takes that as enough conversation, but I'm more skeptical. Where are the Titans? This is too easy, even with our guard up. I wonder what kept Armin behind too. If I know him well, he probably found something more worthwhile than escorting Eren to the gates.

"Not yet," Levi says. "No matter how much you plug it, they'll break the wall as long as they live. Until we kill Reiner, Bertholdt, and any other enemies, the operation to retake Wall Maria won't end."

"Of course, I know that!"

* * *

_Armin_

"I looked into it. I'm pretty sure someone waas camping. The pot was cold and lights were scattered on the ground. They were drinking something liek black tea. Also, there were three cups with drops of a black liquid in it. At the least, there were three people atop the wall."  
"Th-Three, you say?"

"Was the metal pot completely cool?"

"Yes."

The commander twitches his lips. "I find that odd."

"Agreed."

"Th-The pot?"

"We charged here at full speed using horses and ODM gear. Had they noticed our approached by sound or by sight, they'd have two minutes to react. A pot in use wouldn't cool in just two minutes. They had to have known we were coming for five minutes or more. Meaning they've had plenty of time to prepare for us."

"But...how?"

"Th-There must be a scout in addition to the three on the wall," Armin ponders. "No, we have to assume there's many more enemies in hiding."

"For now, locating the enemy is our priority. Arlelt, with that brain of yours, you've saved us from disaster countless times. Right now is one of those times we need you."

"Huh?" Armin doesn't understand what the commander is implying, not until Erwin gestures over to some Scouts standing nearby.

"Take as many soldiers as needed. Find out if the enemies are hiding near the inner gate or not…"

* * *

The search for Reiner and Bertholdt is proving fruitless so far. Armin, nervously commanding his "subordinates" to search the area around the inner gate, begins to think as to why they haven't found the enemy as of yet. "What do I do? Eren's coming to seal the inner gate and we don't know where the enemy's at! Why haven't they shown even though we plugged the wall? Why can't we find them no matter how much we search? This is bad… What now? If we fail… that'll really be the end! It's over. Everything… They always attack us in unthinkable ways we always fail to predict. We're always at a disadvantage because we simply know nothing about Titans! Always…" Armin subconsciously looks up to the wall he stands upon, remembering the image Joshua reported to them back in Stohess.

Could it be...they're hiding within Wall Maria? It is a gamble, a hypothesis without much time to experiment, but...it could be possible. Armin fires the acoustic shell, summoning the Scouts back to him. "Did you find them, Arlelt? Where are they?"

"Not yet! Everyone search the walls!"

"I told you we already did!"

"There's nowhere to hide!"

"Inside the walls!" Upon that suggestion, every Scout in front of Armin looks surprised he even said that.

"Inside the walls?"

"Yes! There must be a spot where someone could stay inside for a long time!"

"How do you know that?"

"It's… It's a hunch."

One Scout grabs Armin by his shoulders. "Do you have any idea what sort of situation we're in? We don't have time to waste on hunches!"

"Think about it! The enemy always attacks us using Titan powers in ways we never imagine! If we constrain ourselves to common sense and reason, we'll never be able to gain the upper hand!"

From behind them all, Commander Erwin fires the red smoke signal. "There are times to be strict and times to be flexible. Adhere to the principles you vowed while giving everything you've got. Obey the chain of command. The reason we are here is to claim victory!"

Armin takes the support of the commander without delay. "Break into two groups again and search the surface! Especially above the gate! Commence the search!"

"Roger!"

* * *

_Joshua_

Minutes later, a red signal flare fires from the outer gate, halting the mission effectively. Hange orders us to go on standby at the top of the wall, but I wonder why we're on pause. There have been no signs of an attack within or outside the city. And just when we were coming for the inner gate…

"What's going on?" I say to Eren and Mikasa as we come within the vicinity of the inner gate moments later. Scouts, Armin included, line the wall above and around the inner gate, tapping their blades against it.

"Armin… Did you figure something out?" Usually, I can see whatever Armin's thinking, but even my keen sense of observation fails me to whatever he is thinking. Obviously they're searching for the enemy, but why would they be within the wall? With gigantic Titans within, it can't be possible Reiner, Bertholdt, and the Beast are hiding inside.

An acoustic shell fires from below us, above the inner gate. "Here! There's a cavity here-GAH!" That gasp alerts me as I (along with Lieutenant Levi) hurriedly steps over to the edge of the wall above the inner gate. There we see the Scout fall down to the street below, followed by the appearance of a tuff of pale blond hair topping a muscular body. Before Levi or Armin can react, I react faster.

"Reiner!"

"Reiner!" He catches sight of me at the last second, unable to do anything as I impale his neck with my blades. I run him down the wall with an angry roar, using my second blade to impale his heart. "I told you I've come for you." Believing I might have killed (or mortally wounded) Reiner, I relaxed a moment too soon. He takes a surprising breath of air and his eyes roll back to normal position. Shocked, I remove myself from him, returning to the top of the wall, letting Reiner tumble to the ground. "Shit! How did he survive _that_? That was his heart and his throat!" I look to Eren for answers, but he doesn't have them. Are there Titan powers we still have no knowledge of? Whatever the case, Reiner ignites the sky with the light of his transformation, so I stare down with greater bloodlust as the man becomes a Titan.

"Keep on the lookout!" Commander Erwin shouts. "Locate his allies-" A series of thunder-like explosions rock our ears from behind. Turning to the land within the gate, we spot the Beast Titan along with 20 or so Pure Titans. The hairy ape picks up a boulder, heaves it on its shoulder, and tosses it directly for the inner gate. "Boulder incoming! Get down!" When I say "directly for the inner gate", I mean it hit the hole spot on.

"He missed us?" I hear Conny say.

"No," I reply, standing on my feet. "He cut off the horses from us. We're surrounded. But as for what they'll do, I have no clue."

"To end it here," Eren says with dark determination. "Once and for all." He looks to me and Mikasa, nodding. "We won't let them win. We're getting our home back, our freedom back. Or we die trying." We both nod to him, drawing our swords as we look to the Beast Titan and his army.

"We're both hoping for the same thing," Commander Erwin says as he draws his sword. "To settle it once and for all. Humanity or Titans? Which side will live? Which side will perish?"


	33. Battle of Wall Maria: Apple Seed

_Moments before, on Wall Maria_

"I already told you, Annie is doing fine, I'm sure. There's no way she's getting tortured. For starters, don't you think that's unlikely? With powers like ours, one scratch and we can pretty much handle anything. And remember it's Annie we're talking about here. I bet she's in hiding practicing her kicks and what not."  
Reiner, however, is skeptical. "Still, there's no mistaking her identity was revealed."

"Even if it's Annie…"

"Oh? Does this mean you're not fully committed yet? Is that right? And what about the agreement we came to? Was that all for nothing? We can go at it again if you want, Reiner. But the next time you lose, you give up your armor to another warrior."

"N-No, that's not what I meant."

"Then pull yourself together. We have only one goal. To recover the Coordinate and put an end to this cursed history. Let's...end this. I want to end all this, with us."  
Bertholdt picks his head up. "Understood. I'll try to keep Annie out of my head for now. There's no need to put anyone else through this hell but us. Let's..." Visions of an event back in Trost months ago flashes in Bertholdt's head, but he pushes them to the back of his head along with Annie for the sole goal of his mission. "...end this."

"Bertholdt," Reiner softly says.

"War Chief Zeke." Reiner, Bertholdt, and the blonde-haired hairy man with glasses that speaks to them walks to the innermost side of Wall Maria, to the outer side of the inner gate. There, a quadruped Titan with luggage on its back addresses them on the ground. "Enemy troops are approaching. They've reached the foot."

"Hmph. Thank you, Pieck. Take up your position." Zeke leads the young warriors back to their campsite and holds his mug out. Reiner and Bertholdt tap theirs against Zeke's. "My brave warriors, it's time to settle this here and finish our mission once and for all."

* * *

Reiner kicks the pot and cans off the wall then turns to Bertholdt. "Let's go."

"Yeah." They begin the run to their position above the inner gate, just a few meters away.

"Bertholdt, I told you a bunch of times, but… You and I will be in separate positions. So try thinking on your own for once."

"R-Right."

"You don't always have to wait for my signal."

"Yeah, I know."

"You're supposed to be the one with the greatest ability of all, yet you leave it to others when it matters. To be honest, I never thought you reliable."

"I know."

"Up until now…. We're ending this here, right?"

"That's right. We're gonna win and end this."

Reiner chuckles at Bertholdt as they come upon the inner gate. "Keep up that attitude till you're with your beloved Annie."

"I-It's not like that."

"I bet even Annie would appreciate the one who rushes in to save her and mistakes him for her prince. Even if it's you. And… Christa… We'll save her, no matter what." Reiner taps the upper left pocket on his shirt, a small container closed within. "That's our promise to Ymir."

"Yeah. no matter what." The two friends turn their backs to each other, Reiner to Shiganshina, Bertholdt to the enclosed land.

Reiner fists Bertholdt's shoulder. "See ya. I'm counting on you, buddy."

Bertholdt performs the same gesture. "Leave it to me."

* * *

_Joshua, present_

100 Scouts stand above the inner gate of Wall Maria, surrounded by 40 or so Titans, including the Beast Titan and Reiner's Armored Titan. And speaking of the fucker, he gets to a kneeling position and flexes his phalanges, crystallizing them and rushing for the inner gate. Last time I saw this, Annie tried climbing Wall Sina in Stohess. Reiner's gonna do the same. "That's right you traitorous scum. Come on up."

"All troops," Commander Smith says, "avoid clashing with the Armored Titan! Stay away from him!"

"Hange, why didn't he signal to attack?" Eren says in confusion. "What's he thinking?"

"He's watching the enemy's movements. Because Reiner and friends prepared some sort of grand welcome for us."

"Some welcome we got," I say as I look back to the assembled Titans. One catches my eye. Behind the Beast Titan is a Titan standing on all four legs. "Hey, guys, look at this. That quadruped with the crates and stuff… That isn't an Abnormal."

"Another shifter?" Eren says. "Another person we don't know."

"Just how many are there?" Conny cries out. "Where were the Beast and this...Cart Titan years ago?"

"Hm?" That is an interesting point, though I don't know why Conny brings it up now. However, whatever the reason, it reminds me of Utgard Castle when the Beast Titan passed by. "Hey! Look at that!" Conny points to the side, where an enormous, hairy, long-armed monstrosity of a Titan casually walks past. "It's huge! What the hell is it? A Titan? No, it's more like… It's like a beast! Right?" Not believing it myself, I take a glance at Reiner, Bertholdt, and Ymir, the boys looking like they've seen a ghost while Ymir is...Ymir. "It's… headed for the Wall!" Looking back now, their reaction was much different than ours. Dare I say it was surprising recognition at a figure unexpectedly showing up?

With a mighty roar and slam of his fist on the ground, the Beast sends the smaller set of Titans towards the suburbs of Shiganshina running. Conny and Sasha gasp along with me as we recognize a similar event back four months ago. Once, when the Titans suddenly went from walking to running during our retreat, a second back at Utgard that night. There are no such things as Moonlight Titans, they were under the direct command of the Beast. He is the reason Miche, Gelgar, Nanaba, and other Scouts and Conny's village are gone.

"Dirk Squad and Marlene Squad! Protect the horses at the gate with Klaus Squad! Levi Squad and Hange Squad! Take down the Armored Titan! Employ the Thunder Spears at your own discretion! Achieve your objective whatever it takes! This moment! This battle! The survival of humanity depends on it! Once more, for humanity… Give your heart!"

* * *

Commander Eren standing up beside Reiner as he kneels down on the top of the wall is a masterpiece of badassery. That man really is the heart and soul of the Scouts.

Eren transforms, turning into a Titan, glares up to Reiner for a moment before running for the outer gate. Erwin's plan, given to us by Armin, is to use Eren to lure Reiner away from the horses. If it works, Reiner will engage Eren. If it doesn't, Eren will be able to circle the wall and catch the Beast Titan, or even break the ranks of the Titans to some degree. Our only issue now is Bertholdt's location, but if it as Armin recalls, Bertholdt will show up to save Reiner. In the event it does happen, Eren begins to draw Reiner from the wall to a more confined area of the city.

While Eren keeps Reiner's attention in a mighty brawl, Hange and Levi Squad prepare our counter-attack...

* * *

_Eren_

"It might've been a fluke, but I've beaten you once already," Eren says to Reiner (not that Reiner can hear him) as the Titans come face to face. "I had it in the bag. One on one, I can win. When it comes to hand to hand combat, Annie was a tougher opponent by far!" Eren crystallizes his hands and waits for Reiner's charge. Once he does so, Eren dodges Reiner's punch, catching the Armored Titan off balance. Reiner tries again, only for Eren to push his enemy's back. Angry, Reiner attempts a third punch, but Eren moves his head to dodge and clocks Reiner in his left jaw.

The satisfaction of scraping off some of the armor on Reiner's face is thrilling to Eren. "Do you have any idea where we're standing right now?" Reiner collapses and rolls on the ground, crying out in his deep roar. "This is the place...where I...where we once called home!" Eren bellows out a booming roar of anger as Reiner rises up. "I'm taking it back. I'll slaughter you all and take back what you stole! All of it!"

* * *

_Joshua_

"Ouch." Eren, after losing the upper hand to Reiner, is slammed to the ground like a doll. We can't really see much from our position except Reiner's body, so for all we know, he has the upper hand.

"Hange!" Mikasa shouts, prepared to assist Eren.

"Not yet," the Section Commander shouts. "Everything rides on the first attack! Wait and trust Eren will give us a good opening...then you, Joshua, strike first."

"Roger," I say with a smirk as we continue to circle the Titans. Eren and Reiner continue to struggle on the ground as we come closer, searching for my opening. How long that opening will be is dependant on how concentrated Reiner is on Eren, and hopefully, that opening doesn't include the two Titans being locked together.

"Joshua, with me! Mikasa, you and the others take Reiner from behind!" Hange takes off and I follow after. We come up from behind Eren, now a few meters away from a kneeling Reiner. He does nothing as we come up to him, for he doesn't know the danger he's in. "His eyes! Aim there!"

"Ha!" I fore towards his right eye, Hange his left, and both spears hit their targets. Propelling away from Reiner, we pull the wired triggers and watch as Reiner's eyes are destroyed. Take that, you son of a bitch. With Reiner blinded, the others of the 104th and Hange Squad come in and barrages his nape.

"We got him!" Jean says excitedly. "It worked! The armor on his nape is peeling off!"

"Really?" Conny replies as he lands on his eyes on a roof.

"The spears worked!" Sasha cries out.

"Do it again!" Hange orders. "Attack again with Thunder Spears and finish him off!"

Everyone hesitates until I (the only one besides Eren who really doesn't care too much about sparing his life) step up. "We have a mission! If you guys aren't going to help me, then you are cowards and just as traitorous as him!" Sounding like some crazy-ass girl from four months back, I am able to rally my friends back into action as we unleash the second set of Thunder Spears on Reiner's broken neck.

* * *

"We did it! We blew his head off!"

"The Armored Titan bit the dust!"

Reiner's mostly headless (but very much alive) body springs out of the nape of the Armored Titan, still held within by the muscles of the larger body. Every fiber of my being wants to go over and cut his body to bits and kibbles but I hold myself under Hange's command. It is a hard fight, but I rather kill him under Hange's command rather than be insubordinate. Besides, there might be a use for Reiner before he gets my blade.

"It's not over! Ready your equipment for the next round!" Hange, Moblit, and the older Scouts move out while I stand in place beside Armin and Mikasa.

"It's not like...we had any chance to negotiate," I hear Armin say softly. "It's our side dealing with the overwhelming lack of information. We don't have the power to capture someone who can turn into a Titan. There was...nothing we could do."

"He doesn't deserve a negotiation, Armin," I say harshly. "Matter of fact, it isn't like they-" Reiner's Titan emits a powerful, alarming roar that even has Eren standing to his feet. The Titan slumps back down, but the shock is still here. What did Reiner do? What did he just...Oh no. Is that...for Bertholdt?

"Nail him with Thunder Spears! We'll just have to blow his body to bits!"

"Wait!" Armin cries out. "We need to get away from Reiner! Up there! The Colossal Titan is coming! We'll get blown away!" He points to the sky where we can see a barrel soaring over the city.

"Shit! Everyone, get away from the Armored Titan! The Colossal Titan is falling our way" We, including Eren, scurry away from Reiner for safety. He'll land near Reiner, probably transform in a similar attack to the one when he fell off the wall. We worried so much about where Bertholdt is we didn't think of what he could do. We should have eliminated Reiner at that moment.

"Reiner!" We hear Bertholdt scream for his comrade, so he definitely knows of Reiner's current situation. This allows us to get as far away as possible and regroup.

"Hange, what do we do now?"

"In any case, our mission objective just came falling into our laps. You could call this lucky."

"Target approaching from ahead! It's Bertholdt!" Following Moblit's words, we turn to an approaching Bertholdt, once more not transforming. It is weird...he could wipe us out from his current position, maybe even farther back.

"Our plan is as follows: The 104th protects Eren under Armin's command! All others work together to take down the two targets!" So I am to stay with Levi Squad? I wonder why she orders me to do so while putting Armin in charge (admittedly the one person I wouldn't put in charge. I would choose either me or Jean).

Speaking of Armin, the boy dashes after Hange and her squad, deciding to initiate negotiations with Bertholdt. I stand alongside Mikasa and Jean, watching the Scouts disperse either to or around Bertholdt. "What an idiot."

"You don't believe Armin will be able to negotiate?" Jean asks of me.

"If we had a moment to negotiate, they would have given us that chance. It is clear as day that Reiner and Bertholdt have little to no regard to talking to us."

"Bertholdt," we hear Armin shout to the taller boy, "stop right there!" Bertholdt somewhat obeys and stops on top of a church steeple. "Bertholdt! Let's talk this over!"

"If I agree to talk, would you all agree to die?" Fair point. "We only want two simple things! We want Eren and the demise of humanity in the walls! That's the harsh truth of reality, Armin! It's all been decided already!"

"Who? Wh-Who decided any of that?... What was that?"

"I decided it! Your lives are coming to an end right here!"

"That's very unfortunate! I was hoping… I wouldn't have to hear Annie's screams any longer!" He pulls the "Annie" trigger again, just as he did to save Eren that time long ago from Bertholdt. They don't know Annie's true situation, that she is just as free from us as she is captured. "The only one who can save her from the savages in the Military Police is you, and no one else! At this rate, she'll end up as feed for the pigs!"

"Fine by me! Let 'em feed her to the pigs! If they really have her, that is!" Just as I'm sure it shocked Armin, the rest of us are stunned by that statement. Seems the timid lovestruck boy is not who we face. The Bertholdt we knew is replaced by this warrior.

"Mikasa, go." She nods and heads off for Bertholdt and Armin as they shift spots.

"What's the rush, Armin?" Bertholdt says as he draws a blade. "Aren't we going to talk? Did you think that if you talked about Annie, I'd lose my cool again? That since I'm the meek and timid Bertholdt, you could fool me into letting my guard down?"

Eren takes a step to move, but Jean (who moved to the Titan's shoulder) to stand down. Meanwhile, I glare at the two boys ahead of me, wondering when in the hell Bertholdt get so confident? "The one moment you use what I taught you back in training, you use it against us here and now. You bastard!"

"I know what you're doing," Bertholdt continues to say to Armin. "You're just buying time. Surrounding me with soldiers and distracting me with this ruse while the others finish off Reiner! I can tell. You're standing there shaking so much, you can't do a damn thing."

"If you knew that much, why did you even come talk?"

"I wanted to know. To know whether, if I faced you guys, I'd start whining and beg for forgiveness again. But seems like I'm fine now. Yeah. You are precious comrades to me. I also intend to kill you."

"Is that...because you think we're spawn of the devil?"

"No. None of you have done anything wrong and you're not devils either. But you all still have to die. That's just how it is." Ironically, Bertholdt might be the dead one if Mikasa cuts his head from his necks as she rises up from behind. Bertholdt somehow catches Mikasa, reminding us how he, like her, was in the top five, number three if I remember correctly. For the first time, I see him fight seriously, managing to overwhelm Mikasa by injuring her arm whilst taking a minor (given his healing ability) cut to the ear. He manages to get away after Mikasa throws a blade at him, heading for parts unknown.

"Why aren't they given chase?" Conny asks.

"Myriad of reasons, knucklehead." Jean replies harshly. "One is he can transform. Knowing what happened last time, we wouldn't want a similar result. This Bertholdt cannot be reasoned with."

"But would he harm Reiner?"

"Not if he can help it, but Reiner is defeated for now. Either he'll hold out or...suffer the consequences."

I narrow my eyes while listening to my friends. "Where are you going, Bertholdt?" He isn't heading towards Reiner, that's for sure. The Armored Titan is just to the far left of where Bertholdt and Armin faced off, so either he made that course correction or…

Most of the Scouts went to the right… Oh hell no...he can't..."He's...going to transform…"

_"This is a very strange feeling. I don't feel that scared at all. I can see everything clearly. feel like, no matter how this all plays out, I can accept whatever happens. That's right, nobody's in the wrong. There's nothing we could do."_

Joshua," Jean says, "What did you say?"

_"Because this world...is just that cruel."_

Bertholdt's flea-sized body shoots up in the sky, still to the right of Reiner's Titan. but right in the middle of the Scouts. Those soldiers...that is my squadron. Right where Moblit...Hange...right where they are! "Bertholdt's going to transform!"

"Right now?"

"Everyone hold on to Eren now!" Jean, Sasha, and Conny latch themselves to Eren but I linger in place as an orange glow appears in the sky. "Joshua!"

"HANGE!"

The world around Bertholdt becomes a massive orange ball of light and energy. Shooting my hooks in the roof I stand upon, I fight the torrent of wind and steam that ravage the city around and beyond Bertholdt's massive attack. The explosions uproots houses off their foundations, sending them flying across the city. Recalling the previous explosion Bertholdt did, this is it on a more powerful scale. Bertholdt then was afraid to kill us all. Bertholdt now is determined to kill us all.

When the light and winds die down, I raise myself up to my knees. I hear Conny and Jean arguing as always, so I know they're okay. That means Eren and Sasha are as well. "Joshua," I hear Sasha call, "are you okay?"

"I'm alive, that is."

"Mikasa! Armin!" Those two return to us, huddling up to Eren and the others. "You two okay?"

"We're fine."

"Hange Squad?"

Armin doesn't respond for a moment. He looks to me before he says anything. "...They were so close to Bertholdt…"

"Bertholdt...you fucking bastard!" I say nothing back, just standing on my feet and looking out to the Colossal Titan before us. He slowly rises off his knees, and for the first time, we get a true view of the massive enemy.

"You don't think," Jean says fearfully, "the only ones who survived...is us here?" We watch with awe and fear as the Titan scoops up some of the burning houses with his hands and throws them across the city.

"Hey, hey, those houses will drop on us… You don't think one of those houses...is Eren's? Eren's house...is being thrown at us like we're prey...because Bertholdt is a Jaegar! Hahaha!"

I turn to Sasha, pointing to the dumbass talking cueball. "Smack him please."

"I don't think he knows our location," Mikasa analyzes.

"Yeah," Armin responds. "He's making Shiganshina a sea of flames by scattering burning debris."

He plans to bury us here, doesn't he? If not that...will he head for the inner gate? "Armin! What now?" Wait for burning houses to flatten us?"

"Armin. You're in command. We follow your orders."

"Then...we retreat. Rally at the commander for new orders. We'll engage the Colossal Titan in a battle of attrition as originally planned."

"Hold up, Armin," Jean counters. "It'll be a disaster if we let Bertholdt near the wall and the others. If the house near the inner gate catch fire, they'll be sandwiched between the fire and the Beast Titan."

"Th-That means...we have no choice but to defeat Bertholdt right here? And we have to do it with the people we have here?"

Some rubble lands on the houses near us, alarming the others. "Armin! The fire! Your orders?"

"Hurry it up!"

As Armin and the others try to figure out what to do, I stare at Bertholdt as he picks up more debris. How many Scouts has he killed in that one attack? I can't believe that, at one point, I considered letting him live if the choice was achievable. Now… All I feel is hatred, the same hatred I hold for Reiner is now upon Bertholdt. So this is the game he wants to play? We'll play it.

"Joshua, can you take my place?"

We'll play Bertholdt's game perfectly.


	34. Battle of Wall Maria: Before Lights Out

_Joshua_

"Armin. You're in command. We follow your orders."

"Then...we retreat. Rally at the commander for new orders. We'll engage the Colossal Titan in a battle of attrition as originally planned."

"Hold up, Armin," Jean counters. "It'll be a disaster if we let Bertholdt near the wall and the others. If the house near the inner gate catches fire, they'll be sandwiched between the fire and the Beast Titan."

"Th-That means...we have no choice but to defeat Bertholdt right here? And we have to do it with the people we have here?"

Some rubble lands on the houses near us, alarming the others. "Armin! The fire! Your orders?"

"Hurry it up!"

As Armin and the others try to figure out what to do, I stare at Bertholdt as he picks up more debris. How many Scouts has he killed in that one attack? I can't believe that, at one point, I considered letting him live if the choice was achievable. Now… All I feel is hatred, the same hatred I hold for Reiner is now upon Bertholdt. So this is the game he wants to play? We'll play it.

"Joshua, can you take my place?" I look down at Armin, stunned by his request. "I just have no idea...what to do… I should have taken your word. I was wrong reading Bertholdt and look where it got us. Joshua, you're better suited for this!"

I nod to Armin, then look to the group as a whole. "The river. Move to the river. We'll ride Eren to conserve our gas." We board Eren, and he begins to move. At the same time, so does Bertholdt. "Eren, at some point, we'll have to get Bertholdt's attention, but until then, don't let him see you. And Armin, I'm all right at reading situations, but I'm too angry to come up with a reasonable plan to deal with Bertholdt that doesn't definitely kill us. To that end, I am counting on you. We all are, okay?"

* * *

_Levi_

"We're done cleaning up here. The only small ones left are the ones way at the front. Still, how will we take down the Beast Titan? He's perfectly content sitting way over there, not moving an inch."

Levi nods. "Yeah, it seems he's a coward. Not like he had balls to begin with."

Dirk chuckles. "You take a break. We'll mop up the rest of the small ones. Let's go!"

"Roger!"

Levi watches as Dirk Squad advances to the edge of town, where the remaining small Titans are. He then turns to the wall behind him, where his squadron and Hange's are. Black smoke rises to the sky after the enormous eruption that happened minutes ago. The commander, from his position on top of the wall, is a little green dot. "What was that explosion? What happened to those guys? Did Hange and the others avoid it? I gotta hurry to that side and-" In Levi's sight flies by a small pebble, going at high speed towards the wall. That pebble multiplies by two, then four, then eight, then innumerable as Levi hears the drums of destructions and the unharmonious song of death from the Scouts. As the noise dies out, only a cloud of blood covers the town. Looking further ahead, Levi can see the Beast standing up.

"_Hmm… Tha on was a little bit high. Oh, leave it right there… Well, the first pitch was a warm-up. I'm going for a perfect game!"_

"Frontal bombardment! All troops, take cover!"

Levi ignores the order from the commander, worrying about the Scouts in the frontline. "Shit! You guys!" However, before he can reach them, he's forced to take cover in an alley as the Beast throws another round, caking the skies even redder. Once it sounds safe to move, Levi heads for the Scout recruits and the horses.

Much like he is, the recruits are panicking. "The Titan's throwing boulders," he shouts to them as he lands.

"Captain Levi?"

Levi draws his sword and points to the recruits. "All of you, retreat to the wall with the horses!"

"Roger!" Before they can move, another bombardment blasts in their ears.

"Hurry! Stay outta the line of fire!" They run for their lives towards Wall Maria, Levi having to pick up a panicking ginger along the way. There, Commander Erwin descends from the top. Hoping he has some idea of what to do (and some answers as to what happened on the other side) Levi approaches him. "How's it looking?"

"Terrible. His throws have destroyed the front line of houses. If he keeps on throwing, everything will get leveled. We won't have anywhere left to hide."

"We can't retreat to the other side of the wall?"

"No. The Colossal Titan is already heading this way. Spreading fire all along his path. Supposing we scale the wall to evade the stones, we'd have to leave the horses. If we retreat here, there's no hope for victory."

"What happened to Hange's group? Is Eren all right?"

"I don't know. But the majority of them were caught in that explosion. We've been dealt a serious blow. The Beast Titan directed the small Titans so our soldiers would group up in one place. As such, while engaging the small Titans, Dirk Squad, Marlene Squad, and Klaus Squad were all wiped out by the bombardment. In other words, our remaining forces this side of the gate consists of you new Scout recruits, Captain Levi, and me."

Another bombardment disrupts the relative peace at the wall, but Levi keeps his eyes and mind on Erwin. "Erwin… Do you have any sort of plan?"

* * *

_Joshua_

"Yell at him, Eren!" Jean says. "Don't let Bertholdt get any closer to the wall!" Eren does so, nearly rupturing my ears, but it effectively reaches Bertholdt's ears. However, the bastard simply stops in place, looks slightly back to us, and continues moving forward like the son of a bitch he is. "What? That bastard's ignoring us!"

"What now, Jean? Joshua? At this rate…"

I snap at Conny, though I don't mean to direct my rage towards him. "I know… Eren! Trip that asshole!" Eren takes off sprinting, straight for Bertholdt's legs.

"Hopefully this works, at least, to slow him down."

"But still," Conny exclaims, "how the hell are we gonna defeat him?"

"His gusts of hot steam make our ODM gear useless! Right?"

"I remember that. But right now, we've got no choice but to try! We've gotta figure out his weakness and pul that bastard right out!" I turn to Mikasa, sharing a single nod that she understands very well at this point.

"I'll do it. You guys distract him. Conny, your Thunder Spear."

"Right."

"Armin," Jean says, "we need you to observe him from afar. So quit your moping. We gotta believe there's a way to beat him!"

Eren rounds the corner, coming to Bertholdt's legs. "Everyone, scatter!" We fly off Eren as he continues to dash to the Colossal Titan. With a roar he grabs the legs, halting the advance of the larger Titan...and even pushes him back.

"H-He's shoving him."

"Holy shit." Standing beside Sasha, I too am amazed that Eren is even managing this. I just made up that plan just to say something, but to see it work, even temporarily… I am a genius.

"Go, Eren! Knock him over!" For just a moment, I wanted to believe in Conny's words, that Eren will trip Bertholdt. For the briefest second, I wanted to see victory over the asshole who kicked these walls open.

That dream is dashed the moment Eren begins flying in the air towards the inner gate, settling on the wall's top where we stood more a quarter of an hour earlier. For a moment we wait for Eren to pick himself up, or make any noise in general that he's okay, yet his Titan just lays there in silence.

"Eren's not moving…"

"He's not dead," Jean tells Mikasa. "Focus on the monster at hand!" He then turns to me. "Your plan… That might have been pushing it too far. If we run at him without a plan, that's what happens."

"Noted."

He glances at Armin. "Unless we can somehow turn the tables on him, this recovery operation, all of our lives, and the future of humanity will be doomed. Having said that, I'm not about to sit around while we all get slaughtered!"

I nod. "Right. We can't wait on Eren, let's go on the attack!" We (except Mikasa) rise up in the air in front of Bertholdt's Titan. This gamble is even bigger than the previous one. Eren, though out of commission, is alive; one slip up for the six of us, if we don't get severe burns, we're dead.

"He doesn't know about Thunder Spears yet! Conny, Sasha, Joshua, and I will distract him! Mikasa will strike in the opening!" We hook ourselves to Bertholdt's enormous body, hoping our ploy will work. Granted, I don't believe him to be stupid, but we're not banking on a decisive strike of the sword. As long as Mikasa activates the Thunder Spear, it is a successful attack. "Hey, moron! I'll poke out your stupid eyes!"

"You huge idiot!"

"You massive pervert lord!"

I watch Mikasa rise up behind Bertholdt and fire both her Thunder Spears at the Colossal's nape. However, Bertholdt somehow senses Mikasa behind him (whether or not he was expecting an attack, he never _saw _her) and surrounds himself with steam. Before we take our retreat, I witness the Thunder Spears explode behind Mikasa, meaning that the pressure of the steam being expelled is enough to reflect the spears.

I cough as the remnants of the steam burn my throat. Turning to the others, only Mikasa suffered injuries due to shrapnel from the spears and Armin is the only fresh soldier due to staying in place. However, that is the least of my concern. "Armin, tell me you have an idea."

"Huh?"

"Have any clues for a counterattack," Mikasa pleads.

Armin looks at us with horror. "Not one…" The sound of destruction to my left gathers our attention, but it isn't Bertholdt who causes such clamor. To our shock, it is a revived Reiner. No longer must we contend with the Colossal Titan who approaches the wall, but the Armored Titan who'll do anything to stop us.

* * *

_Erwin_

"The Beast Titan has a good guess where we're at. This place will look like a honeycomb soon. Erwin, if you're saying we've got no chance to counterattack, let's get ready to flee. Wake Eren sprawled out up there, ride him and fell with as many people as possible. At least we'll have some survivors." Erwin continues his silence to Levi, instead looking up to the frightened recruits. One of them, Marlo if he remembers the bowl-cut boy correctly, begins to roughly grab another.

"Hey, that horse got away! That was your job!"

"Shut up! Like it matters!"

"Excuse me?"

"Those Scouts were insanely strong and they died in an instant! You know as well as I do! What good is protecting horses when there's nobody left to ride them home?! It all made sense at one point, if humanity just hid behind the walls, we'd someday get slaughtered by the Titans out of nowhere. Someone has to bite the bullet and risk taking action. In order for others to not become victims, we needed people to become the victims themselves. Who will become that brave soldier? When I was asked that, I actually believed I could be that someone! But I never thought that being sent to my death would turn out to be so utterly meaningless in the end! Now that I think about it, I bet almost everyone ends up saying the same thing as me. Why did I ever think that I'd somehow be different?"

Levi turns back to Erwin. "What if whoever's left of the recruits and Hange's group scatter on horses and try to make it home? By using them as a decoy, you guys could escape on Eren."

"Levi, what would you do?"

"I'm facing the Beast Titan. I'll draw him away-"

"Impossible. You won't even get close."

"Probably not. But if you and Eren return home alive, there's still hope. Isn't that the best we can ask for at this point? What a huge defeat… To be perfectly honest, I doubt a single one of us is making it back alive."

"Yes, assuming we had no way to counterattack."

Levi looks up to Eren with shock and hope. "Is there a way?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say that sooner? Why you keep your shitty mouth shut?"

Erwin sighs. "If the plan goes well, you may be able to take down the Beast Titan. But it will take the recruits and me to give our lives." The pair look to the frightened recruits as the air and earth around them quake. With another sigh, Erwin steps forward. "It's like you said, either way, most of us will die. No, it's almost guaranteed we'll all be wiped out. In which case, we can stake our heroic deaths on a slim chance of victory. For this to work, to ask these young ones to die, it would take an expert con man and a whole slew of lies. If I do not lead the vanguard, none of them will follow. And I will die before anyone else. Without ever learning what's in the basement."

"Huh?"

Erwin sits down, his breath shaking as he looks to the ground. "I… I want to go to the basement. Everything I've done till now was because I thought this day would come. That someday, I could check if I was right. So many times… I thought death would be so much easier. But always, the dream I shared with my father flashed through my mind. And now, I'm close enough to the answers to reach out and grab them. They're right there… But, Levi, can you see them? Our comrades? Our comrades are looking at us. They want to know what became of the hearts they gave. Because the fighting isn't over yet." Another throw rocks the area. "Is it just inside my head? Nothing more than a childish delusion?"

Levi kneels down in front of Erwin. "You've fought well. It's all thanks to you that we've come this far. I'm making the choice. Give up on your dream and die. Lead the recruits straight into hell. I will take down the Beast Titan."

* * *

"Charge!" Erwin and the remaining Scouts charge on horseback through the ruined outer town of Shiganshina. Their screams gain the attention of the reloading Beast Titan. The actions of the Scouts, a literal suicide charge, seems to stun him. It is this opening Erwin counts on as he raises his flare gun. "Now! Fire!" Streaks of green smoke line the skies, and a moment later the Beast winds up his next volley. "It's coming, move!"

* * *

_Moments before_

Erwin bites his lip before standing up, taking the crate he sat upon, and dropping it in front of the recruits. Levi is right...Even though he hates it, Levi is right. "I'm announcing our final operation! All troops, line up!" Still in fear, it takes a moment for the recruits to line up, but once they gather, he wastes no time in preaching. "We will be doing a cavalry charge. Our goal: To rush the Beast Titan. Of course, we'll be making ourselves ideal targets, so we'll wait until he's ready to throw and fire our smoke signals together. That should reduce his accuracy somewhat. While we're acting as a decoy, Captain Levi will kill the Beast Titan. That is our plan."

"What? You want me to go after him with just ODM gear? He's standing in an empty area. There's not even a house of tree in sight."

"Wrong. There happens to be a line of objects at just the right height. Sneak close using the Titans and assassinate the Beast Titan." He turns to the shocked recruits. He sees their fear. He knows it well. Many times he's given the order to die, every time he's been there as well. "Standing and waiting just means we'll be showered by more boulders. Get ready on the double!"

"Are we," the redhead boy from earlier squeaks, "heading...to our deaths?"

"Yes."

"If we're gonna die anyways, you're saying it's better if...we die fighting?"

"Yes."

"Wait… If we're gonna die anyways, no matter how we die, even if it's disobeying orders, it all means nothing, right?"

"You're precisely right. It's all meaningless. No matter what dreams or hopes you had, no matter how blessed a life you've lived, it's all the same if you're shredded by rocks. Everyone will die someday. Does that mean life is meaningless? Was there even any meaning in our being born? Would you say that of our fallen comrades? Their lives...were they meaningless? No, they weren't! It's us who gives meaning to our comrades' lives! The brave fallen! The anguished fallen! The ones who will remember them...are us, the living! We die trusting the living who follow to find meaning in our lives! That is the sole method in which we can rebel against this cruel world!"

* * *

"My soldiers, rage! My soldiers, scream! My soldiers, fight!" The rocks come, shredding the advancing Scouts apart. Erwin grits his teeth as one rips through his lower left abdomen, dropping off his horse to the ground.

"The commander!" the redhead boy, Floch, screams.

"Don't look back," Marlo shouts. "Charge!" The screams continue as the survivors of the volley continue riding on.

* * *

_Zeke_

"How pitiful… To never learn from the mistakes of history. It's a tragedy how King Reiss stole their memories of the world. That's why they're repeating the same mistake. In the end, they'll send every last person in the walls, down to the children and the elderly, on a suicide charge. Saying that if they're going to die, they might as well die proud...it's bullshit!" In his anger, Zeke mismanages his strength, crushing the rock into fine dust. "I crushed it into dust? Ha ha. What's gotten into me? Why are you getting worked up? You're not like your father, right? You've gotta try to enjoy things. So let's turn them all into proud little chunks of meat!" Zeke prepares to throw another volley, in which more green smoke comes from the humans.

"_It's coming… Is this how I die? I wonder what Hitch's doing… Wait, I bet she's still in bed. Sounds nice. I don't get it… Why am I, at a time like this…"_

"Yeah!" Zeke roars victoriously. "Game over! You like that? I changed how I threw the pitch. Now you're done for-" Scouts appear from the debris, firing their flares past Zeke, angering him. "Like I said… How is firing those things going to help you? All that screaming… What good is it going to do you?" More Scouts fall to the next volley, in which Zeke immediately determines to be game over. "Aww, you poor things…"

As he looks around, he notices through the green smoke the Titans closest to him had fallen on the ground. "Hmm? What's that? My Titans have fallen…" A hook attaches to his clavicle through the smoke, where a lone Scout reels himself through. Zeke tries to grab him, but the Scout detaches his hook and dodges the arm, spiraling around it while cutting with his blades.

"_I need to watch out for a single soldier?"  
_

"_Yes. Lieutenant Levi is dangerous."_

"Is this Levi?" Zeke says as Beast Titan's left arm falls apart. Feeling a hook reach close to his nape, Zeke protects it with his remaining hand, losing the Beast Titan's eyes to Levi in the process. Blinded, he doesn't see Levi slash his ankles until he's dropping to the ground.

"What happened to all that fun you were having?"

Hearing Levi's voice above him, Zeke desperately tries to counter. "Tsk! I'll harden!" Crystal formed on his nape, but the speed of Levi is greater than the production of the hardening. "Shit! I won't make it in time!"

"Come one, let's try to enjoy this!" Cutting off the Titan's remaining hand, Levi lands and unleashes a sword barrage that forces Zeke's amputated body out. Screaming as he erupts from his Titan, Zeke's face is stuff with a sword as he lands on the Beast's decaying back. Levi looks down, doing his best (or worst) not to kill the man. "After transforming, if your body's severely damaged, it's too busy healing to let you transform. Isn't that right?" The blade slips in Zeke's mouth, partially cutting his tongue. "Hey, answer me. Learn some manners."

Zeke wonders as to why Levi hasn't killed him, but all worries are left behind as the Cart Titan appears. Levi leaps out of the way, allowing Pieck to grab Zeke and head towards the wall. Coughing up blood, Zeke angrily shouts to the remaining Large Titans, "All of you! Go kill him!" In response, they run back to Levi.

"Agh! It hurts! You've done it now, Levi! It hurts! But your weapons have to be all used up. With this, you'll all be wiped out! That might've been a close one, but victory is ours!"


	35. Battle of Wall Maria: Vengeance At Last

_Within the city_

"That bastard. To think he's seriously alive. Why won't he just stay dead? What the hell do we do...against something like that? Hey, Armin, I think having Eren escape is the best we can do. Wouldn't you agree, Joshua?"

My eyes are so concentrated on Reiner that I almost ignore Jean completely. I instead look to Armin, who stands silently with his back to us and Mikasa. He's too quiet for someone who was just whimpering a moment ago. "Armin."

"He's thinner. The Colossal Titan has gotten a little skinnier. It's just like Hange said! The Colossal Titan is weak in a battle of attrition!"

I'm sure we look pretty dumbfounded to him. "Yes, I do recall that. We went over this though. We cannot retreat to engage in a battle of attrition."

"Remember Eren's experiments! He could only transform up to three times. If that's the case for a 15-meter Titan, a 60-meter one might be less efficient! And there's his steam attack too! I bet it's consuming everything except his skeleton to produce that steam!"

Jean stands up. "So what are you saying?"

"Armin?"

"I have a plan. You all need to drive Reiner away. Eren and I will defeat Bertholdt ourselves. The two of us can win and I'm going to prove it."  
That look of determination and resolve… When that is on Armin's face, he truly has a plan. They've worked before in the past, I believe he will pull through again. I heave an amused sigh and turn towards Reiner. "You don't have to ask me twice."

"All right," Mikasa says. "Leave Reiner to the rest of us."

"Took you long enough, dummy. I really thought we were goners."

I pat Jean on the shoulder. "Let's go, horse face. I'm not dying until I make sure Reiner is dead." I signal for Sasha and Conny to come to join us as we head to my adversary. This is it. This is the final stand of the 104th Cadet Corps. This is the final stand of me and my friends. I do not plan to die. But nobody does.

I do plan on bringing Reiner Brauss with me.

* * *

_Armin_

"_I don't know why, but when it comes to taking back freedom, strength flows through me." _Eren's words flow through Armin's head as he lands on Eren's Titan. He looks at his friend with a solemn smile, for the plan he had created cycles in his brain. "If this plan goes well, I won't get to look at the sea. For some reason, when I think of the outside world, courage flows through me." He stabs the lower right side of the Titan's neck, just where Eren's shoulder would be. "Eren, wake up! Let's go look at the sea!" Once he's sure Eren is conscious, Armin begins to relay his plan, adjusting himself as the Titan rises.

"Eren, that sums up my plan. As long as we properly execute it and manage to trick Bertholdt, this battle...is ours for the taking.

* * *

_Joshua_

"Got it? We've gotta trust that Eren and Armin can handle Bertholdt! We just need to keep Reiner away from them if we can! Let's keep him occupied from a safe distance!"

"Roger!" We say to Jean as we dash in front of the Armored Titan. In response, he makes a mad dash towards us, ignoring us completely as he rounds a corner in the direction of Bertholdt. I sigh as we already begin to fail our end of the plan. "Well shit."

"He ignored us?"

"That jerk! He's changing his focus to Eren!"

I grit my teeth. "No chance. We're going to kill him here and now!" I dash away, ignoring my name being called. I have one Thunder Speak myself, so I'll have to make the shot count. Attaching myself to Reiner, I fire the spear at his left leg and pull the trigger, causing the Armored Titan to tumble and fall as the spear destroys the back of his knee. He tries to steady himself by holding on to buildings, but he does nothing but causes aerial debris and destruction as he lands on his anterior side on the road.

"Hey!"

"Jean, if we cannot hold his attention, we have to finish him off! This is more than just a personal vendetta now! We have to protect Armin and Eren!"

He sighs. "Yeah, I know."

"How many Thunder Spears do we have left?"

"We've only got three Thunder Spears left," Conny responds. "Shit. But…"

"We've gotta try anyway! 'Cuz unless we fight, we can't win." Sasha shouts. I nod in thought. Not enough to make a mistake, but she's right. Conny, Sasha, and Jean have the last spears.

"Very well. Conny, give Mikasa your spear. Jean, give me yours. You play decoy. He should attack you and in that moment, you girls hit the muscles at the corners of his mouth. If this works, and it should, I will sucker punch his throat with my spear."

* * *

_Armin_

"_Reiner must be facing the five who went that way. Strange… Only Eren and those guys in the 104th survived the explosion? To be perfectly honest, I hoped to blow everyone up. But I'm used to these sort of trials, Armin. What's the point of waking Eren when he's all battered like that? I want you to show me. What will you leave behind in your final moments?"_

"I know it's a plan I thought up myself, but its success mostly depends on how long I can hold out for."

"_Armin, don't tell me you're…"_

"Eren… Sorry, but I can't die till I look at the sea. So i'll have to call it quits before it gets out of hand. The rest is up to you. Y-You know, because I'm not just a hero."

"_No, you're wrong… The Armin I know…"_

"Eren, you should know… We promised to go to the sea together, right? Have I ever lied to you in my life?" Armin stands up, facing Bertholdt. "So no matter what happens, stick to my plan till the end!" Leaping off of Eren, Armin waits for Eren to make his move. Eren tries to stand up, but the wall gives way, causing the Titan to drop fifty feet to the surface. "Eren!" Armin's concern for his friend's prone form at the interior gate is replaced by Bertholdt's arm coming for him. With a scream Armin dodges out of the way and hooks on to the Colossal Titan, rising up from the waist to the shoulder.

"_Armin… All the way to the very end, you fought well."_

* * *

_Joshua_

"Roger." Spears are traded and we assume our positions behind Reiner. Jean and Sasha on his right, Mikasa and I on the left. We wait for Jean to be ready himself. No rush...but timing is everything. At that moment, the sky flashes as Bertholdt begins to burn with energy.

Mikasa gasps worriedly. "Eren! Armin!"

I grip her shoulder firmly. "Mikasa."

She turns away nodding her head. "You're right. We left it to them. We're going to kill Reiner." We turn to Jean, waiting on his signal. He takes a deep breath and begins running.

"Reiner!" He hooks on to Reiner and feints an attack. Reiner notices and scraps his fingers on the rooftops on his right, causing a cloud of debris. I can't see what happens on the other side, but I watch as Mikasa takes flight and fires her spear at Reiner's left jaw. In the explosion, I fly around to a building in front of Reiner to see how I should tackle my part, yet I see that Reiner's right jaw is still intact. Did Sasha miss? Where is she?

"Joshua!" To my far left, I see Conny holding Sasha. She's out cold and bleeding, possibly injured by Reiner's attack. No...this was my fault. I got her injured by playing hero. All this time, ever since we got here...I have only wanted one thing, and that's to see Reiner die. But there's no way we can win now. Even if I hit the jaw, not even my grenades can break through his armor. Shit.

* * *

_Armin_

"_Why? I can't blow Armin away. Why won't his anchor come loose? He shouldn't be able to get close!"  
_

Armin, with his arms covering most of his face, opens an eye to look at Bertholdt's teeth, where his ODM wires are connected to. "I knew it… His bones aren't being consumed! The anchors stay put if they're not in muscle! But most importantly, he can;t move his body while he's emitting steam!"

"_But Armin… Is this how you go out? In all your wisdom, the best plan you could come up with was to get scorched to death like this?"  
_

"I can't breathe! I have to let go… No! Not yet! It's not enough! I gotta buy more time!"

"_What's he trying to accomplish? A diversion? But Eren's still beat to a pulp over there. Mikasa and them have their hands full with Reiner. There isn't anything else to it? If this really is the end for you… All right, I'll make it quick for you."_

The heat intensifies, disintegrating most of Armin's clothing and the upper layers of his skin and hair. Despite the searing pain, Armin wills himself to endure. "Hold on! Don't let go! I entrust it to Eren! My dreams… My life… Everything! This is the only and only thing I have to give! I'm sure… Eren will...reach...the sea! He'll look at...the sea for me!" Unable to hold on any longer, Armin releases the handles and falls.

* * *

_Joshua_

"Joshua! It's too risky!" Conny, you are right. Is it risky? Yes. Call it a foolish grudge, a self-centered desire, a death-wishing ideal. I've waited five long years to avenge my parents and everyone who died here. I've waited four long months to avenge Mina, Thomas, Marco and the others who fell at Trost. I've waited a long time to avenge Gregor, Nanaba, and Miche. There are those who died trying to rescue Eren from them. We prepared months for this one moment... No, I am done waiting. This is the moment now!

"No, it's perfect!" That voice… I look away from Reiner to see a Thunder Spear dart towards his mouth, hitting its mark. Reiner's mouth hangs open, so I look up to see who fired that shot. I almost cannot believe my eyes. "Hange?"

She looks down at me. "Now's your chance, Joshua!" I leap off the roof and head to Reiner. He reaches out for me but I dodge and use his arm as a platform to jump off as I head for his mouth. Landing on his tongue, I take in the situation. This is my moment, the one I've waited for. This is not just a simple kill. This is me taking back what's mine. To avenge those who had fallen. To protect those who live. This is my vengeance. The vengeance of a human.

"Reiner! You're mine!" I shoot the spear down his throat and pull back. In a big flash of light and force, Reiner is expelled from the Titan. I fly around, grabbing him by his shirt. "Gotcha!"

I land on the street, throwing Reiner on the ground. I point my sword at him as the ground shakes. Above the row of houses, I see the Colossal Titan falling.

Armin, Eren, Mikasa...we crazy bastards did it. We won and took back at home. We beat them. Our mortal enemy, the Titans, we have beaten them once and for all. I look up to the sky and sigh in relief, releasing a single tear of happiness. It is over.

I will soon learn that I am so wrong.

* * *

_Eren_

"_Have I ever lied to you in my life?"_

Eren drags the severed torso of Bertholdt along a rooftop as Armin's words replay in his head. "Dammit, I should've known." Stopping by the charred body of his best friend, Eren fights back tears as he kneels down. "I knew...you were more of a hero...than anyone else…"

* * *

**When this episode aired, I had already spoiled myself to Armin's fate as the next Colossal Titan (Never go to wikis, okay). I was still shocked by the events leading up to it because Armin is one of my favorite characters in the series. So seeing him sacrifice himself and knowing he will be the Colossal, I knew he was fine.**

**Next chapter...yeah. I didn't know _that _would happen. I was not ready for it...**


	36. Paradise in Paradis: Armin or Erwin

**It was hard to finish this chapter, one being that I do have to watch "Midnight Sun" again. As I said, I knew Armin would live, but that was the only thing I knew. It was a shock to watch the first time and it still is now.**

**Another reason it was hard came down to how I wrote this chapter. It is mostly from Joshua's perspective, so I am leaving some stuff out, but going back down his memories in this story was quite emotional. I actually teared up writing the Scout's charge to save Eren while watching the same scene as it is one of many examples of Commander Erwin being the inspiration he is. Nothing hit me harder than seeing him dragged by the Titan that took his right arm and him ordering the Scouts to keep moving forward.**

**But Armin is the one friend that is so dependable, even in life and death. Like Eren, I too had forgotten about the ocean, like Erwin, I wanted to know exactly what the hell is going on in the world and like Eren, I wanted to see some dead Titans like Reiner and Bertholdt. But Armin, that pure, smart bastard, just wanted to see the endless sea.**

**If I had to choose... I don't think I could. So I reflected these thoughts in Joshua, but in the end, he made a choice. I wonder who you guys would've chosen to bring back.**

**Anyway, here's chapter 36...**

* * *

_Eren_

"_Have I ever lied to you in my life?"_

Eren drags the severed torso of Bertholdt along a rooftop as Armin's words replay in his head. "Dammit, I should've known." Stopping by the charred body of his best friend, Eren fights back tears as he kneels down. "I knew...you were more of a hero...than anyone else… I should've known this would happen. But… I had no other choice but to rely on you. Armin… Why don't you run away?" The tears run down Eren's face as he allows his sorrow to overwhelm him. Before he can get peep a whimper, a crash behind him catches his attention. Through the rising debris, he spots a quadruped beast on a nearby rooftop. "A Titan?" Not just any Titan, but the one they named 'Cart Titan'. Upon him is a blond-haired man with his limbs removed.

As it makes its way to Eren, he grabs Bertholdt and holds a sword to his neck. Once it arrives, Eren glares at it while pressing the blade in. "You just try coming closer! Make one move to take him and he's dead!" Upon the Cart Titan is a blond-haired man with his limbs removed. "_What's that? He's got… Titan marks around his eyes. Is he the Beast Titan?"_

"Are you...Eren Jaeger?" In defense of having his own identity revealed (not that it was hiding now) Eren draws blood from Bertholdt's neck. The man, however, doesn't seem affected by that action. "You look nothing like your father." That loosens Eren's grip. This man...knows his father? That thought runs through his head as the man continues to speak. "Believe me, I know what you're going through. We're both victims of your father. You've...been brainwashed by him."

Something about the man's eyes reminds him of Grisha Jaeger. "My…dad?"

The man suddenly looks up. "Argh, You're kidding me! He chased me all the way here? Let's call it a draw, Levi. We're in no shape to fight." He looks away from wherever Levi is back to Eren, or should he say Bertholdt. "Bertholdt, I'm sorry, but I think it's the end for you. Eren! Someday, I'm coming back to rescue you!" The Cart Titan and the man depart, leaving Eren with questions that now cannot be answered.

Lieutenant Levi lands in front of him seconds later. "That was the last of my gas. I'll chase him! Hand over your gas and blades!"

Eren begins to take off his ODM. "Right!"

"Hurry!" As Eren loosens the first strap, he hears a low, pained gasp of air from behind him. Gasping, he turns around slowly, unsure if he believes his own ears. There's no way in hell...Armin is alive.

* * *

_Joshua_

_Just let me kill him. Let me end this. _Reiner continues to live as Hange analyzes a metal case from Reiner's chest pocket. She hasn't given Joshua any command to gut his enemy, so he continues to breathe despite the sword ready to puncture his heart. It angers him immensely. Bertholdt should be alive, why not keep him for interrogation? Let Reiner die.

"Reiner… What's this metal case you had in your left chest pocket? Before we chopped off all your limbs, you tried to grab it with the strength you had left. Suicide pills? Or perhaps a bomb?"

"A letter," Reiner speaks in a dry, weak voice.

"A letter? What kind of letter?"

"A letter...from Ymir. You have to...give it...to Christa…"

Hange sighs. "Only after we've inspected it. Now then," she stands while putting the case in a pocket of her own, "I've got a mountain of questions for you, but your lips seem as tight as your armor is hard. Are you going to cooperate and tell us everything that we want to know?"

"No."

"Thanks. It helps that you're prepared for this. Joshua." My blade has never moved faster. Blood spurts from the small pressure of my sword in Reiner's chest, barely a cut in his skin. I decide not to end him quickly, oh no. I want Reiner to suffer as much as he made me suffer, to know the pain I had all these years. I want him to die knowing that I-

"Hold on!" Nearly jumping out of my skin, I leave my sword in place but relieve the pressure as I listen to Jean's sudden plea. "Joshua, are you sure? We might be able to steal his power." I frown. Yes, we have a syringe with that Kenny stole and gave to Levi. Commander Erwin's orders were clear, that if we captured any of the enemy shifters alive, we hold them in case we can steal their power.

"I don't think all the conditions for that have been met," Hange says. "We don't know the situation with Levi and the other side. Neither do we have the time to go confirm it ourselves. Reason being, there's no way for us to gauge the full depth of their powers!"

"Even if I cut his head off, we can't be too sure!" I cut my eyes at Jean, furious that he'll stop me at _this_ moment. "Are you really going to make me reconsider this, Jean? After all that he's done? After all that we been through? Look around you! This, all of this, is his fault!"

Jean drops his head. "This isn't like you, Joshua. If they were here...if Mina was here, she would say the same thing to you. She would tell you that you're acting out of your anger, not with the mind we've come to respect these last few months. You have him beat. You beat the Armored Titan, and for now, until we can get this sorted out, isn't that enough? I believe you don't truly want to kill him off either because if you wanted to, he'll be dead already by now. There's something within you holding you back..."

_Historia nods as she folds her hands behind her back. "I understand. I ask Eren what he would do if he met Reiner and Bertholdt again… What about you? Do you think...you could actually kill them?"_

_I bit my lip. "Are you asking me as a soldier or as me?"_

_"As you."_

_"Reiner… Yes. Yes, I would, it's all I ever swore. But Bertholdt...maybe. But before I even consider it, I have to know why they hate us. I need answers. I need to know...what the basement may not be able to answer. I need to know why they spent three years among us, why they befriended us, why I shouldn't...kill them. I need to know that there's not a shred of humanity in them, that I am truly facing monsters wearing human skin, not humans playing monsters. And then… I'll deal with their deaths."_

He dare use Mina against me? Jean, you son of a bitch. The weight around my neck grows heavier, so heavy in the light that, even if I could argue against it, I know he's right. Grinding my teeth to a point I'm sure I shaved off some enamel, I lower my sword. I turn to the Section Commander, holding my rage inside. She nods, then turns to Mikasa. "How much gas do you have left?"

"It's almost entirely gone. But it should be enough to reach Eren and Armin at least."

"That's more than me. Mikasa, I need you to go check out their situation. Fill up your gas and bring back the injection from Levi. If for any reason you're unable to do so, fire a smoke signal. That will be Joshua's signal to end Reiner."

"Affirmative." Moments later, I remove my gas canister from Mikasa's and watch her head off for Eren and Armin. My anger continues to boil as I stare to the cloudy sky above.

"Joshua, I-"

"The choice is mine, Jean. You just happened to be a small factor." I step away from Jean, back to Reiner, kneeling down in front of the Armored Titan. "I let you live. You once said you didn't have much of a choice back then when you and Bertholdt sacked this town, but I choose to spare you for now. But you...you have already taken my parents from me, and you almost took away my girlfriend. So you should be thanking me, for it'll be hell to pay the day I let a Braus take away someone I love ever again! When that day comes, I won't just kill you. No, I'll hunt down everyone _you_ care about. Your mother, your father, your sisters and brothers, your uncles and aunties, your cousins, your friends back in your 'hometown,' I will fucking kill them all! Everything you have taken from me, I will take from you tenfold!"

"J-Joshua!" I feel Jean's body collide with mine, grabbing me as he gets us away from Reiner. We tumble a few meters away, with me landing on my back. I glance up, seeing the Cart Titan from earlier in the battle along with a blonde-haired man on its back and Reiner in its mouth. No… No no no!

It runs off with Reiner, with Conny initially giving chase before Hange calls him off. As I get back up, Jean beats his fist on the ground. "Shit! It's my fault! I've...done something terrible."

With my head clouded in rage, I disregard Jean's claim. "I said the choice was mine. We should regroup with the others."

* * *

The sight before me is a nightmare that not even the Titans could create. I stand in shock as I look at Eren beaten and hanging off the building, Mikasa on top of Lieutenant Levi with her sword at his neck, and one of the new recruits, Floch standing over a wounded Commander Erwin. They're arguing over something about bringing the commander back to life, but I do notice is that Armin is nowhere to be…

No...is that torched body...Armin?

Hange had just prevented Mikasa from hurting Floch by holding her back. Jean and Conny (with Sasha on his back) just arrived behind me. "Hey… You've got to be...kidding me…"

"No way…You can't...be serious..."

Levi opens the case and begins to assemble the syringe for use on the commander, in which Mikasa begins to shout angrily. "Mikasa," Hange says to her, "you have to know how much we need Erwin! We can't let the flames of hope extinguish inside the walls!"

"But… Armin could… do that, too!"

"It's true, Armin is exceptional, but he doesn't have Erwin's experience and leadership." Mikasa tries to break out, but Hange prevents it. "There are people I want to bring back, too. Hundreds of them. I've had to say farewell since the day I joined the Scouts. But… You know, don't you? No matter who it is, there comes a day to say farewell. I know it's impossible, but you have to accept this. There will be times when you can't keep your sanity. It's tough. Very tough. Even so, we have to keep moving forward."

Sobbing, Mikasa turns to me, tears flowing down her face, pure desperation to save our friend in her irises. "Joshua, please…" I look to Eren, that same plea in his eyes as well. Taking a few steps away from the group, I look up to the sky for some sort of answer. "I agree with Hange. Every day since we've joined the Scouts, nay, since we joined the fight, we lost people I wish I could bring back. Friends we've known for five years died at Trost. Friends we made since putting on this cloak we lost since meeting the Female Titan." I take off my necklace, holding the wooden art in my hand. "I don't know which person is best to let live and let die. Armin...without him, I do not know if I'll be alive minus my own recklessness..."

* * *

"_He was always determined to never be left behind, despite not being as capable as some of us…"_

"That was, uh, quite a speech you gave us there," Armin says.

Eren shrugs. "Yeah. Most of it was yours. All the stuff you used to say back in the day."

I chuckle. "Yeah, I knew those words were too much for your simple, kill-all-Titans mind." Eren smiles, punching me in the arm. I smile a little more before dropping it, turning the conversation into a serious one. "You know my path, Eren. The Scouts has always been our calling, and I'll be glad to have you by my side when we take back our home-and beyond."

Eren nods. "Of course. I've never doubted you would go anywhere else. Even if you could go to the MP."

Armin sighs. "Yeah, well, I'm joining the Scout Regiment, too!" Eren and I look at Armin in shock. Why...Why would Armin join the Scouts? He can't join the Military Police, but the Garrison Regiment I thought he would choose.

"Now you're just being stupid," Eren shouts. "Come on! You're not a fighter! Your life is with the books!"

I interject. "Maybe the Garrison, Armin. You won't have to fight as much, but still on the frontlines."

Armin acknowledges our responses, but before he says a word I can tell his resolve is set. He won't change his mind. "I'm through with letting other people fight for me."

* * *

"_When there was no hope, Armin found it…"_

Jean inspects one of the rifles he, Marco, and a group of cadets found inside. "Are you absolutely sure buckshot is the way to go? Seems like we might as well throw spitwads. I mean, come on, guys. Are guns even effective?"

"I don't know," Armin confesses, "but they're bound to be better than nothing. We're looking at eight Titans in the supply room, of the 4-meter-tall variety. If we time this perfectly, this much ammo ought to be enough to do the trick."

I nod. "Alright Armin, what is the plan?"

"Step one, we lower a group into the area via lift to get the Titan's attention. Step two, when the Titans come within range, the group fires in all four directions simultaneously, blinding them. Then the hard part. The moment of truth, as it were. Before the Titans have time to recover, eight of us swoop down from the ceiling and strike their vital regions. That's it. That's the plan. It puts all our lives on the line. We screw up, we're dead. That's a hell of a risk for one attack but it's our only chance. eight people have to slay eight Titans in one blow, at the same time. We're going to need the best of you. The eight soldiers most physically gifted and adept with their paring blades. You'll be the difference between life and death for the rest of us. I'm sorry. That's it."

_You aren't sugarcoating this, Armin. Even if you were, everyone knows the risk._ As Armin's words weigh heavy on my mind, I am sure I am not alone in this. The last two steps have no guarantee to work. The eight soldiers indeed have the most vital job, for there is only one shot to take the Titans out.

"Seems like a sound plan," Reiner says.

Annie speaks up afterward. "When you get right down to it, the risk is the same for everyone. Doesn't really matter who goes." I tighten my lips. Annie might actually believe that but in truth, the chosen eight do matter.

"Look, I… I'm willing to be talked out of this. One half-baked strategy can't be our only option, right?"

Marco leans over to console Armin. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Come on, with our situation? 'Cause for our only option, it's pretty well thought out. If we give it our all, we might just pull this off!"

Armin looks to me and Mikasa for the same confidence, possibly because ours hold the most weight. "It'll be fine," Mikasa says. "You just have to be confident. You're a better strategist than you give yourself credit for." Armin gasps, possibly to refute Mikasa's claim, but she continues. "I'm serious. That mind's saved Eren and me more than once."

"When did I ever save you? That's not…"

A cadet calls for everyone to jump in the lift. We now stand, but Mikasa, Armin and I stay in place. "You didn't realize it at the time. We can talk about it later."

* * *

"_I have always trusted him to make the tough choices…"_

"Listen Eren, I won't-"

"Just wait a second, would you? If you recall, I said I had two ideas." Eren now turns his attention to Armin. "Armin, I trust you to make the right decision."

"Huh?" Seems our blond friend is within his own head as I was.

"Now hear me out. And yes, I'm aware of how unrealistic this plan is. The best-case scenario? I try to use my Titan ability strategically. It should be under military direction. This might sound crazy, but if you think you can convince the Garrison Regiment, right here and now, that I present no threat to them, I'll trust you, and we'll go with that option. That's my second idea."

"But Joshua tried."

I nod. "I tried reasoning with them, you are right, but you, Armin, are much better with words than I am."

Eren focuses his stare. "If you don't think you can get it done, then my last resort is the first idea. You got fifteen seconds to decide. Think you can get it done? Listen, I'll respect your opinion either way."

Armin, overwhelmed with the idea he decides Eren's course of action, takes a moment to breathe and comprehend what Eren is asking of him. "Eren, why would you leave such a major decision up to me?"

Eren, despite the situation, smirks. "Because you keep a level head. You always choose well, no matter how ugly things get. I figure that's worth relying on."

"When have I done that?"

"Come on, you do it all the time. Take five years ago. If you hadn't gone to Mr. Hannes for help, Mikasa and I would've been eaten by the Titans."

"Take today as well." I smile to Armin, pointing at the Wall. "You, not me, not Mikasa, is the reason we left the headquarters, that we're not still in there now. You got Eren to get over there. You made a risky plan that paid off. If there's anyone who can make a major decision right now, it is you, Armin."

Armin gasps as if Eren and I broke his mind by revealing how important he is to us. At the same time, the upper part of the Titan's backbone falls apart. "That's how you see me? You don't think I'm a poor excuse for a friend? I had convinced myself that I was just a burden to all of you. But you never… You never thought of me that way at all!"

"Armin! Our time is up!"

"Wipe your face and decide!"

I am proud to say he chose the right decision. We gasp as Armin stands up with determination. "I will persuade them, trust me. You three just act as non-aggressively as you possibly can, agreed?"

* * *

"_We wouldn't have figured out Annie, not until much later since I was catching on…"_

"So I'll get straight to the point. Armin, Jean, you three were first to encounter the Female Titan, per Joshua's retelling. When he spoke of your attack against her, he said that there were two things that stood out. One, the Titan knew how Eren looked like, and two, based on a few words, she was hesitant. You two agree with that information?"

"Yes," Armin says. "That's exactly what happened."

"I don't know why those words paused her attack if I'm honest," Jean states as he rubs his head. "But what Armin says, I said those words about Eren some time ago. A lot of times actually."

I take over the conversation. "Sasha told me Jean called Eren a 'suicidal maniac' before the graduation ceremony (As I say that, I can feel Mikasa, who stands beside me, darken the room with malicious intent). Armin said those exact words to Jean as he fought the Female Titan. I can say Jean has done so many times over the years. As I told you, Commander, that could have been any girl… But three more pieces of evidence came up after. One during the battle, two afterward."

Erwin, with interest, sits down. "Floor is yours."

"Actually, we have Armin to thank here." I turn to my friend, giving him a thumbs up. "After all, he figured the identity of the Female Titan first, did you now?"Armin looks to his feet, not liking the well-deserved attention he's getting. "Well...yes, but I still had doubts."

* * *

"And we definitely wouldn't have beaten Bertholdt without him. He is my friend, he is definitely worth saving." I blink my eyes to keep more tears from falling at the sight of my barely breathing friend, then gaze to the commander. "But… I cannot say the commander isn't worth saving too…"

* * *

"_Though it was Hange who brought me into the Scouts informally, it was Commander Erwin who gave me such a choice…"_

"Okay Scouts! We've been tasked with getting rid of any Titans remaining in the vicinity of the Wall as part of the operation to recover Trost. So let's get this done ASAP so we can start preparing for our next extra-Wall survey mission. Okay, you know what to do! Let's do it!"

As the Scouts file out, Hange steps up to Erwin, pointing me out. "Erwin, what do you think about the new kid taking part in this operation?"

Erwin looks at me analytically. "Hmph. Well I know it doesn't seem like much, but we'll definitely be engaging with Titans, Hange. You sure he's ready for that?"

"I think it's the perfect opportunity for him to gain some valuable experience. I'll keep a close eye on him, don't worry."

"Well, I don't want to force him into it. What do you think, soldier?"

I perform the salute as I speak for myself. "I want to take part in the operation, sir. Others can speak for my talent in Trost, as you have heard, so I can take care of myself. Sitting around and doing nothing while there are Titans still around is not preferable to eliminating them."

Erwin nods. "Okay, if that's how you feel, you're in. Let's hope the experience only makes you a better soldier."

* * *

"_He has trusted my opinion on many occasions as if I was an officer…"_

Next thing I know, I land beside Commander Erwin and Lieutenant Levi. "Commander."

Levi faces me, sighing. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing here anyway?"

I ignore Levi for the time being. "Sir, I believe the enemy to be nearby. If anything, she's lacking the energy to keep moving. I want to find her."

"Levi, go make your preparations." Erwin looks away to the consuming Titans but gestures me to come closer. "Why is that?"

"Jean, Armin, and I who first engaged her in the fields figured she was after Eren as she ignored soldiers in the right flank unless provoked. However, some developments have lead me to believe that her identity is much more realized than we think."

"You think you know who it is?"

"Not exactly, but we've considered two things: If she knows about Eren, not saying he's our best-kept secret, she specifically knows how he looks. She investigated each of us to see if we were him. Two, most importantly, when we fought her, Armin didn't mention Eren in name, but used terms Jean would call him, specifically 'suicidal maniac.' She hesitated once she heard that." I look to the corpse, crossing my arms. "To that end, she must have known everything since Trost, including that this expedition will occur. I suspect our traitor is part of the military, either of the Garrison or the Military Police."

"Why not suspect the Scouts?"

"I thought about it, but that's when I considered the last piece of information. If a Scout were to betray us, indeed they would have attacked the side they were told Eren would be on. But the attack came from outside the right flank, not within. It would be a better tactic to sneak up on horseback before transforming, catch Levi Squad off guard, and try to capture Eren instead of what she did."

"Hmm. You have a point." The Commander turns to me, nodding his approval. "Resupply yourself and join up with Levi Squad asap. I have a different theory in mind about our enemy's whereabouts, but I do want answers. Once we return to Calaneth, we'll discuss our theories...if we don't end it here."

* * *

"_And he...was willing to make choices no one else wanted to make… But every choice he made, if it costed lives, he was there with us…"_

"You guys," we heard Hannes call to us, "get away from there!" Seeing him look ahead, I turn to Reiner's front.

"Holy hell! Move out!" I and the other cadets leap off Reiner back to our horses, looking with differing levels of awe, confusion, and fear as our crazy-ass Commander Erwin leads a horde of Titans our way.

"All soldiers, disperse! Get far away from the Titans!" He didn't need to command that, half of us were already ahead of him. Between the Titans already chasing us and those the commander were leading, it is an easy decision to make. As we move out the way, I turn back to see if everyone is okay. All non-Titan cadets of the 104th are-where the hell is Christa? I look back to the Titan gathering around Reiner and Ymir, not missing the sight of the blonde hanging to her friend's hair. If Ymir can protect Christa for a moment longer…

We settle on a hill, watching the carnage unfold. The Titans attacking Ymir and Reiner, one able to fight, the other with his arms tied protecting the shifters. I look down to the commander a few horse-steps away from me, wondering how he came up with this plan. However it was born, it is working to slow Reiner down. What is next?

"What's going on?" Jean says. "Is this hell?"

"No," Erwin says as he rides past Jean, "but it will be!"

I frown. "What is he doing?"

Erwin draws a blade in his right hand. "All soldiers, charge!" You can imagine the shock around the Scouts (and whatever Military Police and Garrison remains) as Erwin tells us to advance. It is a deathwish. It will be a massacre. There is no way he can seriously be ordering this. "The fate of humanity will be determined at this very moment! There is no future where humanity can inhabit these lands without Eren! We recover Eren and immediately retreat!" He hits his heart then points forward. "Give your heart!"

Mikasa is the first to gallop after Erwin, of course. "Ah, what the hell?" I follow after her, and soon the others. This is crazy. This is crazy. This is fucking crazy! As we come closer, I look up to Reiner, seeing him unfold his arms to fight off the Titans, therefore exposing Bertholdt and Eren. "There!"

"It worked!" Jean shouts. "His hand's gone!"

"Now's our chance!"

"Hey, Mikasa? Can't you see all those Titans? How do you plan on getting through that mess? You'd have to slip through a horde of 'em."

"She has me, Jean." Mikasa looks back to me while I smirk up to her. "I'll keep them off you. Jean, you follow closely. Whatever we do, we must get Bertholdt to release Eren!"

"Advance!"

"Yes, si-" Before I can even finish that, blood floats in the space where Commander Erwin sat. I gasp in shock as we see a Titan hold him by his arm in his mouth, halting our advance. "Commander Erwin!" I half turn my horse around to help him, I have to. I owe everything the last month to him. Letting me go on missions with the Scouts as an honorary member, him trusting me with the identity of the Female Titan and telling Section Commander Miche about Stohess. "I'll get him, you guys-"

"ADVANCE!" Erwin still commands us even in his perilous position. Does he know he could die here, and leave us without his leadership? "Eren is just ahead! Advance!" Even at the cost of his own life...he commands us to go forward. Towards our freedom. Towards our destiny. Towards our victory.

* * *

I look away from the commander to the sky above us. "I wouldn't be able to choose. The ones who could are the ones who need to be chosen. I have already made one choice of life today… I can't do it again." Flipping the necklace in the air, I catch it and slap it on the back of my left hand. The Wings of Freedom side is up. Sighing, I point away from myself, towards one of the two wounded soldiers. "If I let fate choose for me, I choose him."

"Lieutenant," I hear Eren say to Levi, "do you...know about...the sea? No matter how far you look, it stretches past the horizon. It is a gigantic lake. Armin said-"  
Floch drops himself on Eren to remove his grip on Levi's heel. "Hey! Cut it out!"

"There's a sea beyond the walls and he said we'd go there together! But...that was our dream since we were little, and I forgot about it long ago! Avenging my mom… Killing the Titans...The only thoughts in my head are full of hate! But...he's not like that! Armin cares about more than just fighting! He has dreams!"

Levi stands up with the syringe completed. "Everyone get out of here! I'm going to have Erwin eat Bertholdt!"

I move away from Levi with the others, letting my own personal choice wage an inner war inside me. Would I have made the right choice if it was me? Or the wrong one? Would it matter in the end?

I let those thoughts ravage my mind as the new Titan rises and Levi escapes with the one who will die. The rest of us watch silently as the Titan grabs Bertholdt, but he must have awoken prior as he begins to scream. He looks in our direction, ceasing his tantrums as he spots Jean, Mikasa, Eren, Conny, and me watching the scene. "Guys! Help me!"

None of us dare move.

He screams again as he is pushed into the Titan's mouth. "Annie! Reiner!" As Bertholdt's last words echo in the air, I feel a single tear wash down my face. It is remorse for Berthodlt? Yes. Yes, it is. He was my enemy, but he was also my friend, and just as I have regrets deep inside me for Annie, I feel the same for Bertholdt. Even now, to this day, his words to us four months ago are remembered by me. _"T-Tell me who!... Who the hell would want to kill people by their own choice? Who the hell would like doing this sort of thing? Do you think I wanted to do this? People hate and despise us. We've done such terrible things, we deserve to die. Things we'll never be able to take back...but...we just...couldn't come to terms with our sins. The only time we had some respite...was when we pretended to be soldiers. That's not a lie! Conny! Jean! It's true we may have deceived everyone, but it's not all a lie! We really considered you comrades! Neither of us have any right to even apologize. But...someone...please… Someone, please… Someone find us!"_

What did Bertholdt mean back then? Will we ever find out? I bow my head and take Sasha from Conny as the Titan collapses and he and the others head down to the rising Titan out of the Titan's corpse. Turning to Levi, Floch, and Hange on a nearby building, I ask my squad leader a question. She replies negatively. There's still time…

Armin might have been given the right to live, but before Commander Erwin dies, I will give him the answers to this world.


	37. Paradise in Paradis: The Truth

**I almost forgot how quickly this story is coming to an end, I almost made this final chapter, but decided I will make the next chapter the final one to make it even...for now.**

**Now that I am ready to talk Marley Arc, I know some of you have questions, especially for our protagonist and what happens. I haven't truly decided how to write that arc yet (as the first few chapters don't focus on our heroes) so I'll need some time to figure it out. If you haven't read the manga and are waiting for the anime, I suggest that whenever I upload the 39th chapter, you don't read it. Now if you have or don't care, whenever I upload that chapter, it will begin somewhere. I'll take suggestions. If you have questions, ask me in the reviews and I'll answer them next chapter at the end so those who haven't gotten to that part aren't spoiled too much.**

**Anyway, in this chapter, I decided to keep this Joshua-centric, so no story about Grisha off Paradis. But two episodes make this up, so there's something in here. Next chapter, the ocean...then a short break.**

* * *

"Well, up to speed, Armin?" Armin's blue eyes lose all focus after Eren recounts the final moments of Armin's previous life and the argument that ensued afterward. Everyone besides me huddles up around him, Sasha, and the slowly dying Commander Erwin while my blond friend contemplates over the information he just received. It is much to hear, we heard half of the same tale and experienced the other.

"Are you telling me…the Scout Regiment...is the eleven of us here...and that's it?"

"For the time being," Jean responds. "The fighting ended four hours ago. We've been looking for survivors, but...none yet…"

"So, we managed to seal the walls of Shinganshina, but Reiner, the Beast Titan, and the Cart Titan escaped. Bertholdt was captured… Then...there was a dispute about using the injection on Commander Erwin or me...And I...turned into a Titan and ate B-Bertholdt…" Armin almost pukes his stomach out but Jean gives him some water to swallow the facts down.

"Why...did you pick me? No matter how you look at it, wasn't Commander Erwin the right one to bring back? Lieutenant! Why did you give me the injection?"

Annoyed Levi kicks Eren in the back. "I told you to tell him everything. The thing is, it seems your two friends here didn't think that way. They stood up to me, prepared to draw blood."

Eren and Mikasa bow their heads. "We'll take whatever punishment comes."

"You'll be disciplined for insubordination," Hange says, "but does taking the punishment allow you to do anything?"

"No."

"However...the final decision to choose you was mine. No… I chose this to be the place where Erwin dies, stubborn as he is being right now."

"I don't understand… There's no way it's okay to let Erwin die. If the commander is gone, how...how will we go on?"

"I agree," Hange says without any sort of remorse. "I thought it should've been used on Erwin if we're being brutally honest. No, it's a shame we were put in that position… Anyways, Erwin entrusted Levi with the decision to use it. And Levi ended up choosing you. There's nothing more to say. Erwin's life and a Titan's power rest on your shoulders. No matter what anyone says, that's part of who you are now, Armin."

"Does that mean… I need to be… Erwin's replacement? No way… I can't..."

"Hmmph." Strolling from my place on the wall overlooking the inner side of it, I look at Armin, trying not to laugh at his ridiculousness. "Don't be stupid, you'll never be a suitable replacement for the commander. But you have a strength no one else has. I'm sure the Lieutenant doesn't regret his decision…" I look down to the quiet commander, his chest slowly rising and lowering. "Just don't make anyone else regret their choices. And you too, dumbass. That's all you need to do."

We hear Sasha struggling to speak, despite her unconsciousness, but she manages to say one phrase. "Shut up." I feel that was directed towards me.

Anyway, Hange laughs it up. "We're no match for Sasha. Well, being the successor of Erwin as commander of the Scouts, we're kinda in the same boat. From here on out, we'll have to grin and bear it."

Armin drops his head. "Right."

"Now then… if it's not a problem for Armin, we should get going. Levi, Eren, Mikasa, Joshua, and I will go investigate. You other four keep watch from atop Shiganshina's wall."

"Roger."

"Eren, do you still have the key?"

Eren places a hand over his chest. "Yes. Right here." Walking as a group to the edge of the wall, we follow Eren towards his home. The reason for everything since we've joined the Scouts is now in front of us, with no enemy between us and the goal. The reason so many gave their hearts and souls, the reason so many sacrificed, the reason so many died, is now but a walk away.

We walk silently on a street of the ruined city until we take a pause to look at the ruins of our home. A pause too long for the lieutenant. "Hey, where's your house?"

"Right." Eren and Mikasa continue to lead while I continue gazing around. Despite the chaos of that day, it leaves behind a startling serenity. I can remember running down these streets as a kid, my parents buying groceries, maybe catching some soldiers playing a card game while drinking their asses off. I'm sure Eren and Mikasa see the same sight I do.

We finally come to their house, and as described, a boulder sits on top of it, a remnant of the outer wall. Another reminder of the pain of five years prior. Another reminder of our vengeance and future.

* * *

"Right here. Under this are the stairs to the basement."

"Good," I do not know how the lieutenant thought this was "'good.'" We had to use wooden posts to move a large rock out the way, which took a lot given our wounds, but I guess it could be worse if it was underneath the crushed house. Eren removes the rubble and lifts up the floor panel that is the basement's entrance.

Hange looks down into the darkness with a flashlight. "That's a relief. It's not flooded with water." Levi, with a light of his own, leads us down into the depths. A wooden door stands between us and the room behind it with Grisha Jaeger's secrets.

"Eren." As Levi calls him, Eren steps forward, key in hand. He fumbles with the lock and key for a distressing amount of time. My brow drops as I begin to let the worst possible outcome form in my head.

"This… This key… it doesn't go to this door."

"What?"

"You're kidding… I'm certain that's the key Dr. Jaeger had."

"Step aside," Levi says. "I'll open it." Against Hange's protests, Levi kicks the door open. The room is dark, even with our lights, but one lit torch later, we get a dim look into the office of Shiganshina's doctor and the holder of the world's secrets. Shelves with books, capsules of medicine

"It almost feels like a laboratory down here."

"My dad was a doctor, so...he was always cooped up down here mixing medicine."

"That makes sense. In fact, if this medicine is all labeled correctly, it's stuff that's widely available. And since all the books here relate to medicine, at first glance, it's just a doctor's study. 'There's nothing suspicious here.' It's like that's what he wants people to think."

"Yeah," Levi agreed with the new commander as he holds up two bottles. "If you're hiding stuff from the Interior Police, you wouldn't want it out in the open. Hey, quit standing around, brats. Erwin's hunches are rarely wrong."

"Right." We begin to search, but for three minutes, nothing comes of it. I do find a great deal of medicinal knowledge that, at one point in her life, Historia would have liked to read about. But besides that, nothing worth being secretive about.

"Eren," we hear Mikasa's voice from the desk, "there's a keyhole right here." We hurry over, Eren bending down to the keyhole in the side of Dr. Jaeger's desk. After a little coaxing from Hange, Eren puts in the key inside and turns.

"It opened... It's empty?"

Levi reaches inside. "Look closer. It's a false bottom." I sigh in relief. Dr. Jaeger surely was careful to hide his secret. Levi removes the false bottom and places it on the table. Underneath were three colored books. Levi collects the books while Hange picks up the cloth they were on and smells it.

"It smells like peppermint oil and charcoal. Were these treated to keep moisture and bugs away?"

"We were looking for something and these must be it."

Eren places his hand on the green book, then looks to us. "I wonder what it was my dad wanted to show me." Mikasa joins her hand with Eren's, and together they flip the cover to a picture inserted on the page. A picture of Dr. Jaeger, but with a woman and son that is not Carla and Eren Jaeger. Eren picks it up curiously. "This is a portrait?"

"Let me see that." Hange takes the picture from Eren and analyzes it. "No… It's far too detailed for this to be drawn by a person."

"That's Dr. Jaeger's writing," Mikasa points out.

"'This is no illustration. Instead, this uses light reflected off a subject and burns the image on special paper. It's called a photograph. I come from a place outside the walls where humanity lives in elegance. Humanity has not perished. I pray the person who finds this book is a fellow patriot.'"

* * *

Later that day, we return to the wall. I say nothing to those who remained, heading straight for the one soul who deserved to know the truth. I kneel at his side, not checking to see whether or not he's dead or alive, whether he can hear me or not. He got us to this place, it is only fair that he knows the truth of the world.

That the truth of the world is that he was right all along, and if he isn't dead, he can die in peace now.

* * *

_Days later_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" I wake up suddenly to the screams of Eren. My heart beating rapidly, I look at him along with Armin and Mikasa. He looks confused about his surroundings. "Where is this? Who...am I?"

"Eren, relax! You're in the stockades. You and Mikasa are serving time for insubordination."

"Were you having a nightmare, Eren?"

"Yeah… I was…"

"Then what was that 'Who am I' business about then?" I question.

"Huh?"

"You did. Are you crying, Eren?"

Walking away from Armin, Eren drops with his back against the steel bars of his cell. "I feel like… I just woke up from the longest dream ever. No… Not a dream… Memories. Just now, I was connected to my dad's memories. That Titan…it was you… Dina."

I turn to Mikasa, dropping my jaw. With only me, Eren, and Mikasa in this corridor having read that book, we know who Dina is. But I don't know if Mikasa made the same connection I just did, but I cannot say a word to her or Armin. If Eren wants to tell the truth of the Titan, he will. She's Grisha's first wife and the mother of the boy in the picture, Eren's older brother and our enemy, the Beast Titan, Zeke Jaeger.

* * *

"The Owl called it 'The Curse of Ymir.' The founder Ymir lived that long after her powers awakened, so it's only appropriate we live that long, too."

Armin looks up from the desk he's penning Eren's words. "I've got thirteen years left… And you…"

"Eight years left… Not even."

"You're wrong," Mikasa says. "This has to be...a mistake. It's wrong."

I say nothing, just stare at the wall while Eren continues. "If one possessing the power of the Nine Titans dies without passing it on, the power is inherited by a baby yet to be born by a Subject of Ymir. It's as if all the Subjects of Ymir are connected by something we can't see. One inheritor said they saw paths. The blood and bones that form a Titan, and at times, even memories and thoughts are sent through those paths. All the paths cross at a single coordinate. In other words, that's the Founding Titan…"

* * *

"That includes the Titan you will inherit. No matter which era this Titan has found itself in, it has pushed ever forward, seeking out freedom. For the sake of freedom, it fights. Its name is… The Attack Titan."

"What are you doing?" Eren turns around to see me and Armin with Hange and Levi dressed in our formal military jackets. The commander leans against the wall, mocking Eren. "'The Attack Titan.' Did you just do that?"

"No."

"Huh? He did that, right? Didn't you three see it just now?"

I nod while Armin looks away. "Yeah, but that was…"

"See?! What was that all about, Eren?"

"No, it's nothing."

"It's the name of your Titan, isn't it? What were you doing talking to yourself?"

I sigh. "Commander, I think that's good enough."

Levi agrees. "Enough, Hange. He's 15 years old. Everyone goes through a phase."

"Huh? What kind of phase are we talking about?"

"Hange, I'll explain to you later. It's not right with him here."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"What the hell did you come for?" Eren's outburst quiets us while Levi walks in.

"Get out."

"I'm supposed to be disciplined for ten more days."

"It's over. Hange just now was punishment enough."

I nod. "We talked with Premier Zachary, so don't worry about it."

"If we jail the heroes who toppled the Armored and Colossal Titan, it kinda sends a bad message, you know? Plus, you were defying us morons who let the Beast, Armored, and Cart Titan get away." I chuckle at the memory of that part of the meeting.

As Mikasa steps out, she looks thinner and groggy. She lost weight in a manner of three or four days. Did she...not eat? In any case, she's alive, so we head out of the stockades for an audience with Her Majesty. An audience that is days overdue.

* * *

Hange and I meet with Historia along with Jean before the audience. In the days between now and then, I have read Ymir's letter along with Hange. It is a short, sweet letter from the bitch that is Ymir Fritz, I although believe it impossible those were her words. So As Historia reads, I sit closest to her, remembering each word of the letter myself.

_To my dear Historia,_

_As I am writing this, Reiner stands next to me. It's pretty obvious that he's sneaking peeks at this love letter. He can be such a creep. No wonder he's single. However, he did promise me he'd deliver this letter to you. He says it's payback for saving them that one time. I'm sorry about then. I never imagined I would end up choosing time over you._

_It won't be long before I die. But I have no regrets. That's what I'd like to say, but there is one thing… It's that I wasn't able to marry you. But he will because you have always loved him. Make sure he knows before he does something stupid._

_Sincerely, Ymir._

Historia places her hand over the paper, in which I see a small spark of familiar lightning. Nothing drastic happens, but it is enough to shock (pun intended) Historia. "What...was that?" I say nothing to let her know I saw anything.

"Something wrong," Hange says, who definitely didn't see anything.

Historia sets the papers down. "Uh, no. Is that all there was?"

"Yes. Of course, I doubt she was able to write anything beneficial for us."

"Was there any secret message only you would know? Like a code?"

Historia sighs at Jean's question. "I don't know. But I doubt she would do something like that." She looks out the window with a sigh. "Ymir is such a dummy... Such a dummy. You'd play it off the second you're embarrassed. I just never know with you."

A moment later, Levi, Eren Mikasa, and Armin come in, bowing to Historia, which I find comical because I haven't done it seriously. "So much happened, didn't it. But all I did was stare at the south sky from within the walls."  
"It's an important duty of yours to stay alive."

"Yeah, that's right."  
Historia smiles. "I glad to see you're acting as usual."

"Well, that's… It just hasn't sunk in for us yet."

* * *

If this meeting wasn't so important that even I was invited, I would fall asleep right now. Alas, I am so important I sit in the center column of tables with the rest of the surviving Scouts, Sasha excluded, with my seat at Hange's side in the front along with Levi. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa sit behind use, Jean, Conny, and Floch behind them. Leaders of the other regiments circle us, with Historia sitting between the Premier and some lady.

"_The Early Life of Grisha Jaeger_. _The Extent of Our Knowledge of Titans and Their History_. _Information About the World Beyond The Walls._ The only people who know about the existence of these books are those in this very room. These were gained by the efforts of ten living Scouts and the 199 others who are not here today. Today, and in the Queen's presence, I would like to assess our situation and establish an agreement in terms of our course of action. Scout Regiment Commander Hange Zoë."

Hange stands up. "Sir. The Scouts have lost a great deal, including Erwin Smith. But in exchange for the many heroes we lost, we have retaken Wall Maria and stolen the Colossal Titan's powers. However, humanity that lives within the walls remains in a precarious situation. It would be a relief were Titans the only monsters we had for enemies. However, the true identity of the enemies we've been fighting is humans. A civilization. You could even say the world. According to these, we're a special race called Subjects of Ymir who can turn into Titans. There's also a belief that we may rule the world again. That's why the world wishes to eradicate us Subjects of Ymir for good."

No matter how many times that fact has rolled in my head since we hypothesized Conny's village were the Titans inside Wall Rose, it stuns me that our enemy is our own people. Now that we know our enemy is our own race enslaved by another enemy, that the Titans don't consume us to eradicate us, but in search in one of the Nine Titans, it angers me. With Eren's memories of his father, and hopefully soon, Bertholdt's memories in Armin might provide more insight into our true enemy.

"Mr. Jaeger later achieved his mission and entrusted the Founding Titan to his son Eren. In order to wield the Founding Titan's full power, it must be possessed by someone with royal blood. However, even if that person possessed the Founding Titan, they're enslaved by the King's ideals, which only leads them down the path to humanity's downfall. That is the vow renouncing war. However, Eren was able to control Pure Titan in the past to escape a dire situation. So it may be possible even without royal blood for Eren to wield that power as well."

"It can't be!" Eren's sudden outburst (which it doesn't seem he realizes) gains everyone's attention.

"You scared me. What was that about?" Eren seems to stammer in place, but I know him well enough to know he knows something. I follow his eyes, leading straight to Historia… Eren later sits down and Hange assumes it is due to his "phase" but I realize that he only stood up after Hange mentions the one time he controlled the Titans. If I recall, he told us it happened after he punched the Titan's hands...The Titan that ate his mom and Hannes…"_That Titan…it was you… Dina."_

I turn back to Eren, he looks at me, and I think in my eyes he sees that I know the truth about that moment. A truth I'll never let happen to Historia.


	38. The Other Side Of The Wall

The truth of the world was made public by Historia's decree. Within 48 hours, every newspaper had the details of the finding of Dr. Jaeger's writings. As expected, chaos did ensue. Some people accepted others laughed it off, some deemed it a conspiracy. Whatever the people's reaction is, we can attest to the fact it is much better to tell the truth than to keep a secret like the old regime.

Now we gather in the audience hall, awaiting to be awarded our rightful accolades. I don't care much for them, but given the hell the Scouts been through the last four months, we deserve some praise. As my friends chat with each other, I lean against the wall and keep to myself, thinking about the previous two days. Something is bothering me, that I know, but its source is indeterminate. Why am I troubled? My friends are here, Sasha is finally out of bed, so what is my problem?

"Hey, you heroes of the wall." I look up, seeing Hitch stroll over to us. I haven't seen her in a while but seeing her without a taller, stern-face boy… It feels wrong. "I just came to see you guys receive your medals."

Jean nods. "I see… Marlo was...brave all the way to till the end."

"Yeah." Sadness rises on Hitch's face. The poor girl. Marlo, how dare you leave her alone without saying a damn word. Then again… I look to the empty throne in the room automatically. I don't know why I look that way.

"Right, Floch? Tell her."

"Sure. Marlo Freudenberg was an urgent recruit, just like me. But he managed to bring us recruits together. The situation was hopeless and the Scouts were on the verge of ruin. We thought all was lost and were stricken with fear. But he… Only he inspired us."

"Yeah?"

"He was an amazing person."

"I know. That's why… That's probably why he never listened to me."

"But in the end, I'm sure he regretted being there." Floch's words regain my attention. Hitch turns around, gives her thanks, and walks away. Jean, angry, turns around and asks FLoch why he did that, intentionally upsetting her. His reply shakes me to the very core. "Because… Someone has to tell the truth."

Floch begins to talk about the choice between Armin and Erwin, how Mikasa, Levi, and Eren let their emotions get in the way, how everyone knows Erwin should've been chosen, how Jean and Conny stood back, how "fodder" like him should have a choice to decide if they are dying for the right cause. As much as I hate to say it, he's right.

I pointed to the commander back then.

"Commander Erwin is the one who should've lived," Armin says. "I'm not the one who can turn this situation around."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Eren questions as he pats Armin's shoulder. "I really can't say if it was the right decision or not. None of us know what the future holds. For starters, have you ever seen beyond the walls? What is there beyond the walls?"

"The sea."

"That's right. The sea. You haven't seen it, right? None of us really know anything! Fiery water, lands of ice, sandy snowfields! The possibilities are endless out there! On the other side of the wall, freedom is-" Eren suddenly silences himself, his irises shrinking in some sudden realization. Whatever it is, it is never addressed. Levi comes for us and leads up to the throne.

Once we're there, we bow as Historia walks up with a case of ten medals. Slowly she makes her way around Hange and Levi, but there's a moment's pause between her and Eren. But not just any pause, no, I saw it again. The little flash of light around their hands.

* * *

_Later that night_

A quick glance at the silent hallway and three quiet knocks later, I'm ushered into the private chamber of Historia by the girl herself. She repeats my glances before closing the door facing me. "Hey. Thank you for coming."

I nod to her as I glance around the fancy living room. "You're welcome." As I take a seat on the plush couch, Historia comes over and hands me a cup of tea. I take it and stare at the dancing flames in the fireplace while she sits beside me. I cop a look at Historia out the corner of my eye. She looks deathly nervous, why I wonder but do not question as she breaks the silence between us.

"How is everyone?"

"They're...themselves. They definitely enjoyed the feast. I think the realization finally settled on our minds and we look to the future."

"Hmm." Historia sets her cup down on her lap and joins me in looking at the fireplace. "The future… When we were recruits, I will admit thinking of a future that doesn't have me in the jaws of a Titan was like a dream that disappears in the morning. But now, I don't know if I'm ready to accept it. It was easy to think of dying when the enemy was outside our walls. Now the enemy is beyond that. Our enemy is the entire world… What future is that?"

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "I have gotten so used to being part of the last of humanity that knowing we're not is...well, it doesn't bring comfort, I'll tell you that. This 'Marley,' it wants us gone. Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, they...sided with the enemy for reasons I bet were out of their control. Their people live in the same fear we do, but with a different face."

"Why didn't you kill him?"

"I...couldn't." I raise my head up and stare at Historia. "At the moment, I just couldn't. Damn Jean talked me out of it, but if he hadn't, I would've. But even before Jean said a word, I couldn't end Reiner immediately. But I don't think it was because I was being merciful, no. I think… I thought death was too easy for him. No, I want him to know my pain."

My final words to Reiner bubble back up in my head. _"I let you live. You once said you didn't have much of a choice back then when you and Bertholdt sacked this town, but I choose to spare you for now. But you...you have already taken my parents from me, and you almost took away my girlfriend. So you should be thanking me, for it'll be hell to pay the day I let a Braus take away someone I love ever again! When that day comes, I won't just kill you. No, I'll hunt down everyone you care about. Your mother, your father, your sisters and brothers, your uncles and aunties, your cousins, your friends back in your 'hometown,' I will fucking kill them all! Everything you have taken from me, I will take from you tenfold!" _

"Do to him what he has done to you?"

"Yes."

Historia nods. "Ymir would call you insane if she heard you say that. Once upon a time, I would have talked you out of it. But… I cannot. I believe Reiner deserves it, for all he's done." I turn to Historia shocked to hear those very words come from her mouth. She's...not the kind girl I remember her as, but why should I be surprised? She voluntarily killed her own father and so much more has happened to change her. Which one of us is the same since that day in Trost? She turns to me. "This time, don't hesitate."

I finish my cup of tea and nod. She didn't have to say it for me to think about it. Setting the cup on the table in front of us, I think about another subject. "The letter… I read it before we gave it to you, in case Ymir had some secrets to share. It is a sweet letter, in any case. Excuse me for saying it, but I think in her own way she loved you."

Historia smiles. "I know. How much, I don't know, but for me, she was the big sister I never had...or, in her case, the one I remember having. I do miss her dearly. I'm sure you miss her too."

I snort, yet Historia is right. I never understood Ymir, but she was never one to be understood in the first place. "I wish she joined us instead of them, but in the end, only Ymir knows what she was doing."

"You think she's…"

"Yes." Seeing Historia's eyes well up, I scoot over and take her in my arms. Had this not been private and in the dead of night, I would be arrested for being with the queen like this while she's in her nightclothes and her hair is down. Is that lavender in her hair? I...catch myself before I do anything wrong. So I keep talking. "She wouldn't want you to cry over her, the stubborn gal she is. Yet she told you to move forward and you did. I think, in her own way, she's happy for you."

Historia sniffs before she rises up, but not exiting my arms. She stares at me with wet, troubled eyes. "There's only one thing...but if I do it, I...am a bad person. I would hate myself for it. But I fear that if I do nothing, I haven't lived up to the path Ymir set for me."

I don't know what she speaks of, but whatever makes her "bad" probably isn't as bad as she thinks. "Do it, deal with the consequences later."

"Are you...sure?"

I nod. Releasing her, I rise up and decide to leave. "It's getting late. I should get out before I do get caught. And I don't think you can-oof!" Before I know what's even happening, I'm back on the couch, Historia weighing me down by sitting on me. The realization of why she did it hits me hard, but for some reason, I do not attempt to move. But that's as far as she goes, for a moment later she's off of me, stepping away in horror.

"Joshua, I…am so sorry."

I wave it off as I stand back up. "I knew already. Even before now, I knew...and I must admit, a part of me wishes I could. But as of now… Let's just keep this between us, okay?"

I turn away, heading for the door. As I twist the knob, I hear Historia's voice once again. "It'll always be Sasha?"

I pause there. I look back at the girl behind me. My heart beats slowly, No, Historia, there's a part of me that...feels for you. I've felt it many times now, but no, I cannot. The girl changes to a different one, a taller, redheaded, amber-eyed girl from the woods. My heart thumps a little quicker. "Yes, at this point, Sasha will always be my choice. I like you, Historia, but I love her. She's...everything to me."

Surprisingly, a chuckle comes from Historia. It's weak, but it manages to be a laugh. "Very well then. I cannot say I never tried. But Joshua...despite this, please still be my friend and confidant."

I smile. "Of course, else Ymir will kill me from her grave." I turn around and walk out of her chambers. I continue walking until I'm out of the building and heading down the dark streets of Trost. I continue walking until I get to the barracks and walk inside, heading up to a that I'm sure isn't leading into my room.

I knock on it three times, and moments later, that tall, redheaded, amber-eyed girl appears. She yawns with a mighty roar that dictates she might've been close to sleeping. "Joshua?"

"I love you." I almost slap myself for saying it like an idiot. But in any case, it temporarily rouses Sasha from her drowsiness. She only looks at me with some surprise.

"Well, about time you do, dummy."

* * *

_8 months later..._

Sasha leans on my chest as we frolick like animals underneath the noonday sun. "Do we have to go?"

I smile. "Yes, love, we do. Why wouldn't you, though?"

"Because this is so nice. Yes, we can go see an ocean, but look at what's here. Grass, trees, sunlight. This is home. You, me, we made Dauper Village our peace and I don't want to leave it." She leans up, pecking my lips with very persuasive kisses. "You aren't...going to...make me move...like this."

A year has passed since the Battle of Trost, eight months since the retake of Wall Maria. As of now, refugees from Wall Maria are ready to return home now that the Titans are confirmed to be eliminated. In that time, Commander Hange has been preparing for the next expedition, the one that'll lead us outside of Wall Maria. Taking on the role that Moblit once held, she required much work from me as I helped her complete this project, but it didn't come without reward; I am now the highest-ranked soldier from the 104th, as Section Commander. Though I really don't commander a section of the Scouts since...well we're still low on numbers, but much to my enjoyment, I am above Lieutenant Levi in rank.

Yes, I did take the opportunity to get a free punch in and, just to see how much power my rank truly has, I made fun of his height. He did nothing...but for a week I slept with everything locked.

So as Hange takes care of the remaining logistics, I decided to go with Sasha on a mini-vacation to Dauper Village. As she said, we made it my home away from home, and to be honest, I do love it here. But I do want to see what the hype is about with this ocean. Eren and Armin have been drooling over it for years. "Sasha, no amount of kisses is going to stop us from going."

Sasha advances from my cheek to the underside of my jaw and neck. "Are you saying that as Section Commander or as my boyfriend?"

"B-Both." Nearly losing myself in her seductions, I flip her over in the grassy field. Thank the heavens we're outside the village, a little upstream along the river, or else this would be weird for the villagers and us. Ignoring my hormones for the basket of food we brought, I reach inside and take out a fresh, still hot potato. Breaking it in half, I hand Sasha a piece. "Here."

She just stares at it with a frown. "C'mon, when are you going to let this go?"

"When you stop reminding me how I almost died."

Sasha shrugs and takes the potato. "I could come up with other things, mind you. Like the time you failed to get on your horse correctly and were hanging upside down while she galloped. 'Horse Fucker', heh. Good times. Too bad we never paired that joke with Jean's. That would've been gold."

I scowl as I turn towards the river. A safe, out of earshot (and hopefully out of their sight) distance away is Kaya and the other village kids playing by the river. Since we're the oldest young people there and national heroes, it is hard to sneak out without the kids tagging along. It was annoying at first, but Sasha made it work like she did today. She's much better with the little devils than I could ever be.

"I want at least two." Sasha leans on my shoulder as she munches on the potato and looks at the kids. "One boy, one girl. We get that, I'll be happy. If we get more, no more than four."

"Planning our future?"

"Distant future. When we're adults and the world is safe for us. I have a home. I have someone who loves me. I have plenty of food. Now I just need a future worth fighting for. So kids...our kids, hopefully."

I nod. "Alright then. For our kids, then."

Sasha shuffles herself to my lap, blocking my view of the children below with her crummy face and half-closed bosom. "When we have a girl, I know what I want to name her. But you can say no."

"Oh really? You've thought this through."

She reaches for my neck, finding the wooden carving that I have now worn religiously for a year. "One of us had to. I haven't been as busy as you. Anyway... I want to name her Mina."

Sasha's serious. Getting over the surprise of hearing that name, I wrap my arms around Sasha's waist. "Why?"

"Because she meant a lot to you. I mean, she was a friend of mine but she must've meant a lot to you that you continue to wear this. At first, I was jealous but then you gave it to me back then. It wasn't just a symbol of how she felt for you anymore, but a symbol of your motivation. She's a reminder of what you dedicated your heart to, so I want to honor that myself."

I raise a hand to Sasha's cheek. "Thank you. Alright, Mina is the girl's name. The boy's?"

"I'm sure Jean has a claim to Marco, so... Erwin. How about that?"

"I love it," I say happily. My arms bring my body closer to hers as I begin to pepper her lower neck with kisses. "And I love you."

"I love you too." Sasha giggles and places a finger between our lips as she leans down. "Hold on, sir. There are kids nearby who look up to us and are probably hungry right now. Do you want to scare them by doing this?"

"I'm sorry, I'm in the wrong now?"

Sasha giggles as she rises off me and buttons up her shirt. "Set the food up, I'll go get them." Watching my girlfriend walk down to the riverbank, I hold the carving in my hand. Sasha is right, this is more than a gift from Mina Carolina, but no matter what the meaning is, I carry her with me. Not just her, but everyone else who died, to remind me of their sacrifice. In one of my pockets is the notebook from Thomas, almost full, possibly enough for one final entry.

I'll write it when we get to the sea.

* * *

_Days later…_

"It's just as you thought, Hange. The Titans inside Wall Maria were pretty much all of them. We thinned out the majority in just a single year."

"In that case, let's head straight to our target as planned." Hange turns to me with her single good eye expressing some humor. "Don't get bored, Joshua."  
I chuckle as my eyes wander. This is the land that I lived beside for a decade of my life. Now I understand Armin. "I'll try not to."

Moments later, a red signal flare is spotted. We prepared for a fight, but as we spotted the Titan, I can say I was disappointed to see it wasn't worth it. It was a huge one, reminding me of the Reiss Titan, but unlike that one, the limbs on this guy are tiny. How he made it anywhere (there's a trail with grass growing behind him, so he hasn't moved in a while) is beyond me. Eren walks up to it and touches it. "It was shipped to paradise. It's a fellow patriot. Let's go. It's close." Floch is the only one against leaving it alive, but we do so anyway.

Sometime later, we come across a sandy plain, with more sand than I have ever seen in one place. As we continue traveling, we see an enormous wall structure. "What is that?"

"I'm sure of it," Eren answers. "This is the place where Eldians were made into Titans. And beyond that…" We spot a path pass the structure that leads up to the other side. Following Levi and Hange, we rise up on the hill.

The sight is unbelievable. I have never seen so much blue in my life. The sky stretches forever just like the sea below it, their only meeting point being the sun at the horizon. Is this what we were fighting to see? Yes. Is it worth it? Hell yes. I turn to the rest of the 104th, a smirk growing on my face. "The last one to the beach, you're my personal assistant for the week." We race down to the lower beach and enter the water. Jean tastes it, remarking on its saltiness. Conny and Sasha splash each other. Hange is...Hange and Levi is Levi.

I stand on the beach in my bare feet, making my account of the sea as promised in the journal. _"If you guys were here, I think you'll be entranced by it as we are. I just expected a large lake, but for as far as I can see, there's nothing but water. it is amazing...and we're finally here, at freedom. The Titans are gone, and we're free of them." _

Mikasa comes to me and tugs on my arm. "Joshua, c'mon!" Putting the journal in one of my boots, I enter the water with Mikasa behind Armin and Eren and hear a small but remarkably cute squeal from Mikasa as the water rushes above our knees. Armin and I look at her as we share a smile with each other, then gaze out along with Eren to the rest of the sea.

"Look. I told you, Eren! A salt lake so big that merchants could spend their whole lives and still not get all the salt. The stuff I talked about wasn't wrong after all!"

"Yeah. It's so damn big."

I nod. "I must admit Armin, I thought this was just some fairy tale. But if the last year proved anything, fairy tales can be real."

"Yeah. Look, Eren! On the other side of the wall-"

"There's a sea," Eren callously interrupts. The three of us stand behind him, wondering why his attitude is so dark. As a matter of fact, this entire trip, no, for most of the past eight months, Eren has been different. Cold, keeps to himself, a completely different Eren. I managed to ignore it with my duties but now, at the place in which he and Armin dreamed to be, nothing has changed about him. "On the other side of the sea...is freedom. That's what I always believed. But I was wrong. On the other side of the sea are enemies."

"Eren."

He turns to us. "Every part of this is exactly how I saw in my dad's memories." Turning away, he points out to this horizon. "Hey… Armin, Mikasa, Joshua...If we kill all our enemies…over there...will we finally...be free?"

"Eren." I step up to him, gazing at where he points. He has a point. We might have defeated them here on Paradis, but we are not truly free yet. We must defeat the world...the world beyond the sea. I frown as a single thought crosses my mind. "Yes. I hope so. You are right, we aren't free until all our enemies are dead." I look back to Sasha, seeing her and the others looking to us. I know the future she wants and I want it too, with her. But until I see him dead at my feet…I will not be free. "We will have our vengeance on those who are truly responsible for all we have lost...and for those who have suffered on both sides of the sea. So let's go together, Eren, and exact it...the vengeance of the Eldians."

* * *

**And scene.**

**This is the end of Vengeance Of A Human, but not the end of this story. The Marley Arc will proceed soon, once I figure out how I'll like to write it. As of right now, the arc will proceed as written officially, so... I gotta prepare myself. I do not have a timetable of when I'll begin, but if I had to choose, probably around March, making it a year since this story began.**

**To all 126 followers, most of you have favorited the story, and to those reading now from the beginning, thank you all. I didn't expect this story to do such numbers, which is not why I wrote this anyway, but it is still amazing. I just had an idea with my favorite anime and somehow I'm here. Today (or yesterday for most of you) is a special day, as it marks the fifth anniversary of me uploading my first story, so how fitting I end my fifth complete story on this date.**

**Now I'm sure you see that there's more to this chapter, but I warn you if you are not reading the manga...well, there's nothing spoiler-heavy below in my opinion, but if you are not reading the manga I would suggest ending here. Now if you don't care or have already read past chapter 102 at least, then you're fine to continue. In any case, this is just a small taste of the next story which I do not have a title for.**

**Once again, thank you all, and hopefully, you'll read more of my stories, even if it is just the upcoming sequel.**

* * *

"Oh my, it's good to see you again. You came, Mr. Leonhart." Leonhart? I tune my ears to the man on the bench below me and the woman who takes the seat in the space below me. Annie's father...so this is the man who made his daughter into a fighting machine. A mighty one, at that.

"Miss Braun. I suppose we haven't met since the day we welcomed your son home." My breath stalls. Reiner's mother...sits right beside me? I still my hand from receding from my lap and keep my eyes at the stage straight ahead, forcing myself to not do anything stupid. "It would have been a shame to turn down the honor we're been given."

"Yes, they went through all the trouble of giving us our own seats, after all. What an incredible honor."

"By the way, I knew Old Hoover was bedridden, but I heard he up and died?"

"Yes. He passed peacefully in Marley's caring hands until the very end. He always spoke of how proud he was that his son devoted to Marley and I'm sure that your daughter was just as splendid when she-"

"She's not dead," Leonhart interrupts. "Annie's alive. She promised me she'd come back."

"I wouldn't count on it." My lips move before my brain, but I manage to catch the attention of the two parents. I look to Mister Leonhart first. "Annie is alive, as far as we can tell. She evaded capture by crystallizing her body. She was smart, taught me how to fight with my hands. I liked her a lot."

"Who… Who are you? What do you mean?"

"But you, Miss Braun. You and me have a little history. You probably don't know it, why would you, but I knew Reiner as I once knew Annie. We all met seven years ago as cadets for the military. For three years, we trained together, forming a brotherhood with each other and the other boys. He once asked me what was my goal, and I replied that I wanted to kill the Armored Titan." I look away from their mortified faces to the stage. A man stands there and begins to present what is most likely Marley's history of the world. I ignore it and continue to recite mine. "Nine years ago, my hometown was destroyed by the efforts of Bertholdt and Reiner, though as I learned from my friend Armin, who, if you must know, ate Bertholdt and took the Colossal, it was by accident. They were running for their lives...but didn't care for those they took. That includes my parents and my friends' families."

Miss Braun, Mister Leonhart, and the Eldians around me shudder as I tap my waist, feeling one of the two pistols there. She looks at me with fear, a face I recall quite well. "You're...one of them...the devil's spawn from Paradis."

"Four years ago. I had Reiner at the end of my Sword, but I decided to spare him, leading to him being able to return here. To you. To Marley. To you two being hailed as heroes for sacrificing your children for your oppressors. Tell me, did you think your son and daughter were saving the world as they killed your people? Or what about the Titans? You know how they're created, yet you sit here, happy that your son is a hero? Hmm." A commotion occurs as the man on the stage, Tybur, confesses that his family's secret is that King Fritz renounced war as he found Paradis. I chuckle as the Eldians and the rest of the crowd breaks into shock. "Imagine our surprise when we found out. We overthrew the government and installed a new queen."

"But," Tybur continues, "in recent years, a rebellion has occurred within Paradis, suppressing King Fritz's peaceful ideology. Someone has stolen away the Founding Titan. The world is in danger once more. A man has appeared who opposes King Fritz's peaceful world. This man is a rebel against peace and his name is Eren Jaeger."

I chuckle as Tybur keeps talking. "Hmm, Eren should be done any moment now. Miss Braun, let me tell you about myself. My name is Joshua Hardin. My parents and I lived in the Shiganshina district on Wall Maria. I was ten years old when your warriors destroyed that town. I swore to Reiner, after I spared him, that I wouldn't let another Braun harm me, that I would let him suffer as I did all these years. You see, me and him, we're not so different. We're both victims of ignorance. He lived in my world for five years, lived amongst my people, and he saw us as devils still. I remember what he said about that. 'If only I never knew that there were people like this, I wouldn't have become a half-naked piece of shit.' Bertholdt regretted that he considered us comrades too. I bet Annie felt the same. Maybe when she comes out of her cocoon, we'll know." I scoff as Tybur asks the world to join him and fight against us, the 'Devils on Paradis.' "I guess your son is right. We are devils...but we weren't born this way. No devil is born, they are only created. The moment my mother and father were crushed under a boulder, the devil inside me was born. I wish to recreate that moment with Reiner. Will you help me, Miss Braun?"

"What?"

I stand up as Tybur makes his proclamation to the crowd. "At this moment, your son is meeting with the 'rebel against peace.' At any moment, my friend is going to destroy your world. At any moment, some...no, many of you are going to die. My plan is just to see this through...oh, and this." I whip out a pistol and point it as Miss Braun's face, firing immediately at her face. The woman's face is destroyed as her body falls limp on the ground, but no one does anything about it as a monstrous roar echoes from the stage. Looking to Mister Leonhart, I smile venomously. "I suggest you get running. The devils are coming."


End file.
